


The Sun That Descended Upon Us

by xXDawnXx



Category: EXO (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 08:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17825447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXDawnXx/pseuds/xXDawnXx
Summary: Taehyung is situated between the North Korean border as the Commander of the Alpha Team. Going into such a dangerous mission, it was inevitable that something would go wrong. But he didn't expect it to go so wrong.Until it went right, after meeting Doctor Jung....Trials and tribulations become concordant as two clashing careers meet two competent adults, and the Sun seems to helplessly look down on them.





	1. Spark of Winter

The shrubbery that he was veiled behind couldn’t secure that he was covered. Again, V had been sent on another mission with his team- Team Alpha, even when he had requested a paid vacation. But he knew it had been impossible to refuse, and he was doing the job he loved after all. It was currently night time, and as he was in the countryside, he couldn’t help but admire the billions of bright specks that were more resplendent than in the city. As he took a steady breath in, even the air seemed cooler, less clustered with the fumes of decay and pollution. The foliage crackled in a leisurely dance of tranquillity in front of him, maybe from the small rodents that resided there, probably from the wind, going through altos and crescendos before lulling back to a steady state, the cyclical nature of it continuing on and on to create other sounds from nature. Looking at his face, one would never realise the coarse, sandy feeling in his throat, dry even after a long gulp from said man. Even if he had done this several times, he still couldn’t control the pessimism in the back of his mind if it all went wrong. His flow of thought was distracted by a transmission from his walkie talkie.

  
“Commander V, are you there?” said the voice of one of his most able men, and also his great friend and hyung Min Yoongi, or as he was about to call him, Suga.  
“Yes, sorry Suga hyung. What’s up?”  
“What’s up? You’re literally standing on the border between North and South Korea on your own hiding in a stupid bush without back up, and the only thing you can say is ‘what’s up?’ ” At this, V started laughing at his right-hand man, the laughter low and full of effervescence.  
“Well, if you’re so worried about me hyung, how about you come and help me over here?”  
“Already here, dumbass,” said a voice right next to his ear. Taehyung jumped a bit, not expecting Suga to be there so fast. He managed to have a small smile on his face, knowing that the grumpy and sleep deprived Suga had already predicted that V was lonely and couldn’t do the mission alone.  
“Is that any way to speak to your commander, Suga?”  
“And is that any way to speak to your hyung, idiot!” He hissed as he punched the commander lightly on the head, making Taehyung garner an exaggerated reaction of holding his head in pain. The older chuckled with his gummy smile showing, but before he could tell V to stop with the hyperbole, another message from V’s walkie talkie was beeping.  
“Commander V, are you ready to put the mission into action?”  
“I am. Please do not send any more men.” His voice had turned back into its deep baritone, the note vibrating with finality and power, nerves now fully hidden from his tone.  
“We are sorry about that boss. It seems that Suga left on his own without permission. Should we retrieve him back?”  
“No, Suga is who I wanted, and no one else. Don’t intervene, over and out.” Finishing the conversation, he placed the walkie talkie inside one of the bushes in front of him, not wanting to be distracted more than he already was.

To be honest, he didn’t know why he had insisted on doing this risky mission when he knew that the North Koreans would not take kindly to him overstepping their boundaries. But it was necessary as there was a South Korean soldier who was stuck in the military cabin of North Korea, and he had been ordered to retrieve him peacefully, or a war could start between the two countries. Thinking about all the pressure made him gulp loudly, and it didn’t go unnoticed by his hyung. He put a hand of reassurance on his dongsaeng’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly, the touch dissipating the pressure on his shoulders as the Commander whispered a heavy “Thanks.”  
  
“Okay Suga, it’s time to go. Let’s go near the border, around ten metres from the military base, and raise our hands up as a sign of peace. Don’t act brash, and keep your face calm. Don’t show them any fear, or they will try to make use of it to their advantage. Understood?” V said in his Commander's voice, already showing his serious side as a leader. Suga nodded, not minding that he didn’t speak formally as he was in a higher position than him, and he liked seeing the younger so serious. Suga raised his hand to his forehead and said, “Unity,” and V followed. From their crouching position they slowly stood up from the bushes, and spotlights from the North Korean military base flashed on the two men immediately. While Suga stayed stone-faced with his hands up in surrender, V had a different approach to the situation- he smiled broadly with his popular rectangular smile, the megawatt smile making the North Koreans in the military base perplexed. Why was there a soldier who seemed so at ease when he was being stopped by the North Korean military base? Suga, already used to this display from his dongsaeng, managed a small smirk before going back to his stoic persona.

  
“What do you want?” A voice came from the loudspeaker of the military base. Still beaming, V said,  
“We just want our soldier back. Is that okay?” Ignoring his request, the loudspeaker again asked,  
“How many people are there? If anyone is hidden, come out now!”  
“There is no one other than us, I can assure you,” V said, his voice now less cheery and much more solemn. His grin also seemed to be fading considerably too.  
“We cannot trust you. Therefore, you two, come inside until we can check the surroundings to see if you are lying. And if you are lying, there will be serious consequences.” The loudspeaker voice was irritating both men, but they did as they were ordered and entered the military base after they were stripped of their weapons.

When they entered, all the lights were off, so they could only barely see dark outlines and shadows of people. One shadow that they saw was of a scared man who was tied down to a chair, and his mouth was also covered with a white cloth. The two men stared at each other, realising that that was definitely their man. Some of the North Korean officers went outside of the small military base to look for the invisible ‘backup’, and there were only five men left, not including V, Suga or the South Korean soldier. Soundlessly, V and Suga nodded at each other before going after the North Korean men. Suga dealt with the three less sturdy looking men, while V dealt with the two taller and more muscular men. V punched the bulky man in the jaw which caused him to stumble back, but then V felt the other North Korean man grab him from behind and hold him in place, so the other one could hit V. Blood trickled from the lip of the man he had just punched, and he looked grotesque in the dark, the blood spread across his lips to look like the Joker. Without holding back, he punched V square in the face, and V attacked back by kicking the man in front of him in the stomach while using his elbows to hit the arms of the other man. Meanwhile, Suga kept on jabbing and punching the other men, his petite figure making it easier to dodge their attacks. The fight went on like this until V saw that Suga was surrounded, and he pushed one of the burly men into the three smaller ones, making two of the three attacking Suga receive a K.O. Suga dealt with the burly man by grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the window, making the glass shatter. Now there were only two men left. 

“Suga, now!” Ordered V and Suga understood right away. He, being the closest one to the door, crouched and ran toward the soldier, not stopping just because the North Korean soldier was there. He untied the South Korean soldier while V dealt with the two North Koreans, sweat mattering his forehead. He smirked before wiping it off with his sleeve, and the less bulky one attacked, jabbing him in his stomach. V stumbled back before raising himself back up and punching the man in the face, making him go through the window and on the grass. One guy left.  
“Boss, we need to leave. Now!” Suga screamed as he grabbed the soldier who seemed to be struggling to walk, and jogged with him to the exit while calling for V to hurry. Not seeing the need for any more bloodshed (as he had been asked to solve the matter _peacefully_ ), he tried to dodge the bulky man and make a run for it.

He did so successfully, but as the three men crossed the border, a shot rang out, and V felt himself drop to the floor with a searing pain in his abdomen.  
…

1 Week Ago  
  
“Hyung, why do you keep on ignoring your phone? It’s been ringing for ten years!” moaned the younger male.  
“Shut up Taehyung-ah. I’m trying to ignore someone for goodness sake!” said Yoongi with acid in his voice. Yoongi was still ignoring _him_ for the prank that he had pulled the other time, and he wasn’t about to forgive him easily. After the annoying ringing had finally ceased because Yoongi had chosen to turn off his phone, Taehyung took a sip of his iced Americano. To be fair, he would have preferred a sweeter drink, but his hyung had refused on the basis that it would make Taehyung too hyper.

Currently, they were in a quaint little café that had comfortable seats, good coffee and a great view of the outside with its large windows. They had chosen to be near the window seats so that they could enjoy the view of the Busan shoreline. Yoongi had not known why his Commander had suddenly asked him to go with him to Busan on a trip, even though they were both from Daegu and could have just stayed there. He remembers Taehyung’s only excuse being that “There is someone special I have to meet,” his voice wistful and sighing as if content. So here they were, just lazing around when Taehyung, at last, finished his coffee and said to his hyung, “Let’s go outside and play!” In disbelief, Yoongi muttered to himself while being dragged away again, “For being twenty-nine, why is he still such a child?”

When they were leisurely walking outside, Yoongi felt a hand go in his pocket, and a second later, he saw an orange haired shorty running away with a phone in his hand.

His phone.   
  


“Hey! Give me back my phone!” Shouted Yoongi as he sprinted for the thief, and Taehyung followed his lead, wanting to help his friend catch the thief. But what made him even more surprised was that the orange haired boy looked extremely familiar- maybe a bit taller (but not by much), a different hair colour (originally brown) and certainly not a thief, but still the boy he knew years ago.  
“Yoongi hyung, my GPS says that we can take a shortcut and cut him off at the end of the street, near the beach. Should we do that instead?”  
“Hurry up then, punk!” Yoongi called out to Taehyung as he rushed to take the aforementioned shortcut. Taehyung decided to take the other shortcut so that the entrapment technique could work at its fullest. While he took the right, Yoongi took the left shortcut. Taehyung, while running against the sand with his long legs, looked at the beautifully resplendent sea of Busan, the sun glinting off of the waves as if little crystals were encrusted on its surface, as well as the orange sun swimming on top of the waves languidly, and he couldn’t feel any better than this as the feeling of being free and happy washed over him whilst he basked in the light. When he reached the end of the beach and turned to face where the thief would be approaching from, the sand being a comfortable pillow to his sandals, he noticed Yoongi coming closer to his right, as well as the short thief in front of him. Being quite tall, Taehyung stopped him just with his presence, the shorter male freezing momentarily, while Yoongi finally caught up. 

“What took you so long hyung?” whined the younger with a slightly higher pitch in fake frustration.  
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not into wasting my breath for something stupid. And this is stupid.” Yoongi’s comment made Taehyung chuckle lightly, but the thief was already running away, finally out of his trance. As a motorcycle was rushing past them on the gravel footpath, Taehyung and Yoongi grabbed the motorcyclist by the shoulders, letting the motorcycle run over the poor thief. The resounding thump and the loud cry from the orange boy made both men wince a bit, the impact being more painful than expected.

People gathered around as they were now at the part of the beach where there were several small stores for tourists, seeing the injured man on the floor holding the phone in his hand tightly. The motorcycle had stopped as soon as it had hit its target, so it was now still, although maybe a little scratched (but they wouldn’t tell that to its owner). Yoongi coolly grabbed his phone, saying, “Kid, don’t steal from me, or you won’t live an easy life.” Instead, Taehyung checked for any injuries, seeing that he had a sprained ankle and a fractured arm, from the impact of the motorcycle. 

“Ah! Stop touching me!” cried out the thief as Taehyung inspected him. Taehyung ordered Yoongi to buy two teddy bears and a pen from the convenience store in front of them while he inspected the thief further.  
“I can’t believe you can’t remember me! After all these years, I can’t believe you stayed the Jiminie-pabo!” laughed Taehyung loudly. Jimin looked at Taehyung with wide eyes before screaming,  
“Tae Tae!”  
“Jiminie!”

The two same age friends hugged each other before Jimin squirmed because of the pain from the accident he had just suffered. 

“Yah! Why did you run me over with a motorcycle!”  
“And why did you steal my friend’s cell phone!” At this, Jimin just pouted, not wanting to talk about the reason. That was when Yoongi came back and passed Taehyung a felt tip pen and two teddy bears, as well as string, knowing what he was going to do. For a grown man who liked to act indifferent, when the cashier looked at him in surprise buying such items before asking if it was for a girlfriend, he turned a light pink, which may as well have been an angry red because of how pale he was, and just snatched it and left. Only for Taehyung would he do such things… He secretly cursed at himself that he knew Taehyung too well because they were spending so much time together. Taehyung thanked his hyung before starting the work, putting one of the teddy bears on Jimin’s head as he winced in pain, and then using the string by wrapping it around his head to hold it into place. He had noticed light bleeding from Jimin’s head, so he had wanted to take care of that as soon as possible. Next, there was also light bleeding on his knee, so he wrapped the second teddy bear there too. It was thankful that Jimin still liked to wear shorts even now, as it made it easier to reach the knee to cover it up.

Now, Yoongi also crouched in front of Jimin, ruffling his head where the teddy bear wasn’t placed while he said, “Ouch!”

“Hey kid, are you a punk? Why do you have orange hair?” said Yoongi in his gruff voice. Jimin still stayed silent, so Taehyung just started writing on Jimin’s arm, making him laugh a little because it tickled, his eyes turning into crescents.  
“Tae, stop! Why are you writing on my arm?” he said while continuing to laugh with his eye smile. Because Taehyung was so concentrated, his tongue sticking out as proof, Yoongi replied for him.  
“He is writing your medical card so that the doctor who sees you knows exactly what’s wrong with you.”  
“Wait... What?! I’m not going to the hospital!”  
“Yes, you are!” Finished Taehyung with a pleased smile. As they saw the ambulance car arrive (courtesy of a concerned onlooker), Yoongi and Taehyung hopped on it as well while Jimin kept on complaining.  
  
“So, V, how do you know him?” asked Yoongi, using Taehyung’s codename by habit.  
“He’s my same age friend. Park Jimin. We went to the same high school for three years in Daegu before he moved back to Busan, where he came from. We lost contact, even though we were best friends, but I guess fate brought us together!” Jimin laughed at his friend who had always stayed the same, while Yoongi chuckled at his superior who could say something so cheesy with a smiling face. When they arrived at the hospital, they dragged the bed with the nurses to a room, so that Jimin could be attended to and wouldn’t think about escaping. Yoongi gave Jimin a stern warning not to do it again, before patting his head gently and leaving.

Taehyung stayed a bit longer, discussing parts of his life to his friend, and how they should keep in contact because he had missed him all those years. When he saw a doctor approaching from the distance, Taehyung gave Jimin a parting hug before waving at him with a smiling face.  
“Who’s that?” said a smiling doctor with dark, slightly curled hair.  
“Oh, he’s just my best friend, and the one who ran me over.”  
“What!?” squealed the doctor with an exaggerated face, making Park Jimin laugh. The doctor smiled softly at seeing his patient smile, as that was always the best remedy. 

“Hello… Park Jimin? My name is Doctor Jung, but please call me Hoseok. I’ve been transferred from Gwangju Hospital for a week to check the performance of the Busan hospital. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”  
…  
  
What he saw when he opened his eyes was a worried Yoongi, whose eyes were glazed over, even though he never usually cried. Taehyung tried to reach his hand to touch his elder’s cheek to tell him that everything would be okay, but he felt a surge of pain near his stomach, making him retract his hand. At seeing his dongsaeng alive, Yoongi breathed a sigh of relief before patting Taehyung’s head that was situated on his lap.  
“You stupid idiot… How could you get shot when we were finally finished with the mission?” chuckled Yoongi, even though he sounded like he was in pain.  
“Hyung… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to take him and go- I put both of you in danger…”  
“Yah, it’s fine you brat. Stop talking. We need to take out the bullet in your abdomen now, or you will bleed to death. As much as I want to get rid of you, you need to be treated now. So just close your eyes as this guy takes out the bullet.” 

Even though Taehyung’s vision was blurry and unclear, he saw a man in front of him. He knew for a fact that he was just a soldier who had been given some medical training, but not anything extraordinary. He cursed himself for always wanting to know about every person involved in a mission, as now he knew that a practically inexperienced soldier doctor was about to remove the bullet inside his body, and he felt like he would much rather keep it where it was than die of pain because of this man.  
“I’m guessing we are going to the hospital then?” sighed Taehyung.  
“Yes, unfortunately. That’s why we are on a helicopter right now. The only hospital that will take you and has a helicopter pad right now is in Gwangju, so you just have to be a bit patient, okay?”  
“Okay, hyung.” 

Then, Taehyung had to go through a torturous twenty minutes of an inexperienced doctor removing the bullet from his abdomen, before trying to stop the excessive bleeding and then clumsily tying up his wound. Luckily, he didn’t cry out, but just winced in pain before finally falling into a calm slumber.  
When he opened his eyes again, he saw that he was still in the helicopter, but it was finally still.

Painfully, he got up off Yoongi’s lap while he was carried to the top floor of the hospital, Yoongi having his arm around Taehyung as support. Feeling much better, and being used to gunshot wounds, he lightly pushed his hyung off, telling him that he was okay. Yoongi looked at him sceptically, but soon shrugged it off before asking Taehyung to take his clothes off.  
“Hyung! I know I am sexy and we’ve known each other for years, but I don’t think it’s time for us to deepen our relationship!” He said in mock horror. Yoongi slapped Taehyung on the shoulder, a huge smile on his face as he said,  
“Yah! Don’t misunderstand V. We need to look more normal because most of the staff will not be expecting us, and they don’t know what we do. For now, just wear this white shirt and these jeans.” Taehyung accepted the clothes and changed out of his uniform, wiggling his eyebrows at his hyung, who just threatened him with another slap.

When he was done, they used the elevator to go on the seventh floor, where Taehyung’s wound would be checked. As they walked, people didn’t hide their loud whispers at the unexpected new patients. Several doctors crowded around them, looking at the two handsome men with admiration as they asked to treat them both, not knowing the situation. Yoongi stayed silent, going back to his Suga persona, and Taehyung followed suit, going back to his V persona, saying, “I’m looking for the main doctor.” The crowd of doctors kept on causing a commotion, until a commanding but gentle voice said, “I am the lead doctor. Please leave my patient alone so that I can perform my duty.” The other doctors, sensing the authority, dispersed and continued with what they had been previously doing. He saw that the doctor, who was slightly shorter than him, was already walking away, his back to V. V followed, waving bye to Suga as he wanted to get tended and quickly go back home. 

He plopped himself on the bed as if he owned the place, and the doctor finally decided to turn around. Taehyung couldn’t help the gasp as he saw someone who was an angel personified. He had slightly curly hair, warm chocolate eyes and the most beautiful and vibrant smile he had ever seen.  
“Hello, my name is Doctor Jung, but please feel free to call me Hoseok. I will be your doctor today. What’s your name, if you wouldn’t mind me asking?”  
“Taehyung. Kim Taehyung,” he said after clearing his throat, feeling embarrassed that it had been clogged up at the sight of the man, or as he had asked him to call him, Hoseok.  
“Okay Taehyung-ssi, would you please mind showing me your wound?” Still awed, he lifted his shirt up slightly, showing the already wrapped wound. Hoseok gently removed the bandaging before giving a gentle smile at Taehyung, saying, “It’s okay, don’t worry. I didn’t go to medical school for seven years for nothing. Trust me.” And at that moment, Taehyung trusted his whole life to this complete stranger. When Hoseok inspected the wound more carefully, he gasped a little, before his mouth turned into a ㅅshape. Taehyung found himself sporting a small smile on his face, his thoughts only thinking _so cute_.  
“It seems like it’s a gunshot wound, right? And it’s pretty fresh too… I knew that it was a special request, but they didn’t even tell me it was this serious…” Hoseok said with a sigh in his voice.  
“Well, you’re the doctor,” Taehyung said, not admitting or confirming anything, eyes shifty and looking at anything but the handsome male in front of him. Working at a different angle, Hoseok tried by saying,  
“Do you work for the military or something, Taehyung-ssi?”  
“It’s classified,” Taehyung replied, not revealing anything again, and Hoseok knew that he would probably continue just saying ‘It’s classified’ if he asked any more questions.

As a doctor, it was necessary to connect with your patient and not make them uncomfortable, or they may not want to seek further treatment. The thought of that made him stop with the questioning, as he knew that pressuring his patient would only make Kim Taehyung close up like a clamshell. Therefore, he began tending Taehyung’s wounds without further questioning. Hoseok worked diligently and quietly, dabbing at any excess blood with cotton, and working expertly to make sure that Taehyung felt little to no pain. When he felt Taehyung even wincing a little because of the wound, Hoseok would always stop and say “I’m really sorry, Kim-ssi,” while looking up at Taehyung with big, apologetic eyes, and Taehyung could only look away each time, covering his mouth while muttering silently that it was okay, and that he didn’t feel the pain. Not even caring at how blatantly he stared at the doctor, Taehyung just looked at Hoseok, mesmerised by him and his movements. Seeing the change in Hoseok from having a smile so full of joy to such a serious and graceful demeanour was making him feel all sorts of unspoken feelings.

Wanting to make it easier for Hoseok, as it seemed that his shirt was getting in the way of Hoseok’s gentle hands, Taehyung brashly removed his shirt. Hoseok became momentarily stunned and frozen, not expecting the man in front of him who had a recent gunshot wound to be so inclined to take off his shirt so suddenly. To be fair, the tanned man in front of him had a really great body, but he would never admit it even if he was on the brink of death. Hoseok continued working, and Taehyung couldn’t help but notice how flustered his doctor was, his movements more rushed and clumsy, saying sorry more often for accidentally dropping cotton buds rather than for causing pain to Taehyung, which made him even more adorable in his eyes as Taehyung felt his own eyes becoming half moons. The thing that he had failed to notice was the light tint of colour on Hoseok’s cheeks, as it was a dark room with dim lighting. But if he had seen it, it would have definitely made him happier.

When Hoseok finally finished, he looked Taehyung directly in the eye before saying,  
“Listen. You’re young and fit-”  
“Thanks, doctor,” Taehyung said with a cheeky wink. This made Hoseok even more flustered than he was before, making him stutter when he said,  
“M-make sure to c-come once a week, okay? I don’t want that wound to get infected…” Meanwhile, Taehyung had started getting up and putting his shirt on, and when he had finished, he confidently said,  
“Alright. I’ll come three times a week to see you, my lovely doctor.” Quickly, he left the room with a beaming smile on his face, not noticing that Hoseok had exited the room to then shake his head in disbelief at his patient’s confidence in himself.  
When Yoongi had noticed his superior’s beaming smile, he couldn’t help but ask why he was so happy.  
“Hyung, I think spring’s here!”  
“But it’s winter, idiot,” he said with a chuckle, knowing that he would somehow be forced to stay in Gwangju with Taehyung.  
…  
  
“Again, Hobi, could you tell me why you brought this brat all the way from Busan?” Namjoon asked, wondering why he hadn’t rammed his wheelchair into Hoseok yet as he saw that there was an unexpected patient the day that Hoseok had come back from Busan. The orange haired male stuck his tongue out while clinging onto Hoseok, who was ruffling his hair as if he was a cute puppy. 

“Joonie, don’t be like this! He asked me to come here because he didn’t feel safe in Busan. He was being chased by people, and even stole someone’s phone to try and contact the police, only to get hit by a motorcyclist.”  
“And as you said, the person who caused him to get run over was also the one who put the medical card on his arm?”  
“Yep! And guess what?!”  
“What, Doctor Jung? You know that because I was away for a few weeks, now I have to deal with your mess, right?”  
“That’s not important!” (Hoseok didn’t notice how Namjoon’s eyes rolled in exaggerated contempt) “What’s important is that the same person who wrote the medical card was also the one who came yesterday with the other man. They both looked like they were part of the army or something, but didn’t say anything-“  
“Wait, you met Taehyung?” Spoke out the orange haired Jimin, who had been following the conversation closely.  
“Yes! Kim Taehyung, the one who wrote on your arm, was also the one who came in yesterday.” Jimin looked at Hoseok with worry glazing his eyes at his friend possibly being in some sort of danger.  
“Why? What happened to Tae Tae?” he enquired frenziedly.

Hoseok smiled kindly at Jimin, patting his head once again before saying,  
“Don’t worry. By the time I saw him, he was pretty much in perfect condition and had already been treated, although poorly. The only thing that I needed to do was clean the wound and give him some painkillers.” Jimin breathed a sigh of relief, glad that out of all the doctors, the kindest doctor had taken care of his best friend.  
“Back to the problem- how will you explain this to the head?” Namjoon said in a pondering position, before the door banged loudly open. 

“Explain what?” said Jungkook calmly as he saw an unfamiliar patient in one of the hospital beds, Hoseok and Namjoon on either side of him. Namjoon openly glared at the young doctor, while Hoseok’s face became crestfallen for only a split second, before turning back into the smiling character that he always was.  
“Oh, just that we have a new patient at the hospital, Jeon-ssi.”  
“Please, spare me the formality. We’ve known each other too long Hoseok hyung.”

“Yes, you have,” Namjoon muttered under his breath, making Jimin giggle quietly. 

“So, what do you need Doctor Jeon?” Hoseok said, adamant on being on friendly speaking terms with Jungkook. 

It was a known fact that the two doctors were rivals. Jungkook had been crowned a young genius, so much so that in one of the renown SKY universities (The University of Korea), instead of the seven years of mandatory study to be a doctor, he had only done four years of mandatory training, graduating at the same time as Hoseok. Then, they had both gotten placed in the same hospital, even though Jungkook was from Busan and should have gone to the Busan branch instead; the fact of the matter was, he had requested to go to the Gwangju branch, where he knew that Hoseok would definitely go. Imagine the surprise on Hoseok’s face when he went on his first day of work, only to see the smug twenty-two-year-old opening the door at the same time as him while saying,  
“Isn’t it a coincidence that we were sent to the same hospital?”

It wasn’t an understatement to say that Hoseok resented Doctor Jeon Jungkook, who had always been in his way, and when he had thought that he could finally get rid of him, he had come back with a vengeance. Currently, they were both competing to be Professors at Gwangju hospital, and whoever won would be able to be on television and to teach the public about medicine and how to stay well. It was a great opportunity that Hoseok had been selected, but as if they came in a pair, Jungkook had also been selected, as well as a few other doctors.

The hospital staff was split in half between supporting Doctor Jung or Doctor Jeon. While doctor Jeon was younger, he acted colder and shyer, being firm and calm in different situations, but still able to have the famed bunny smile of his after a simple operation was a success. Doctor Jeon was a little less experienced with helping out at hospitals, as Hoseok had volunteered himself five days a week for all those seven years in university, while Jungkook had done the minimal volunteering to pass so that he could focus on cramming on his studies, therefore he was more used to doing simple operations and healing people on the spot, while Doctor Jung was more in the Operating Theatre than any other doctor.

Doctor Jung dealt with the especially tricky operations, making sure that his patients felt secure and happy into doing the operation willingly, his blinding smile being their source of hope, as well as being a master in the operation room, efficiently working and making sure that every doctor performed their duties to an excellent standard no matter how incompetent they were to other doctors as assistants. When the operation ended, he would always bow deeply and give everyone a beaming smile and a hug, congratulating them on their hard work. With Doctor Jung, success with every operation was certainly guaranteed, and it was no wonder that people always wanted to do operations with him as the lead doctor. The only problem with that was that it meant that Doctor Jung pretty much spent his whole life in the ER, operating on several people before he could finally rest, and it would only be for around three hours maximum, so it was a frequent matter when he had to sleep in the hospital, as it wouldn’t be worth the time going home, unless he needed a shower badly. Both doctors excelled at what they did, and Jungkook knew that to be chosen as the professor, he had to do more OT(Operating Theatre) operations, or Hoseok would have a clear advantage. The doctors had been avoiding each other, and everyone at the hospital had been gossiping that they were the hospital’s young superpowers, and there would be a war if they ever clashed. Were they about to clash now?

  
“Hoseok hyung,” said the other informally, “would you mind being my assistant in my next operation please?”  
“What?!” Namjoon screamed involuntarily, voicing his thoughts. Jimin, having heard about the rivalry from other doctors who had come to check up on the guy who looked like a delinquent, was extremely fearful of the combo working together.  
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ll be able to help you. I have patients booked here and there, and I don’t think I have any free space in my schedule.” Jungkook suddenly got closer and patted his elder’s shoulder before saying,  
“Don’t worry, hyung. I made sure that your schedule was _completely_ free for that day. So, will you help? Or do you think that you’re too good to help me, _hyung_?”

The stressing of some of the words was making Hoseok feel like he was about to explode in anger. He would not allow this brat to get his Professor’s position, only to talk informally with him as he would be in a higher position than him. Hoseok forced himself to give his brightest smile to his fellow doctor while saying,  
“Of course I’ll help my _dongsaeng_! After all, you don’t have much experience in the Operating Theatre, and we don’t want you to be getting one bad report, now do we?”

From the darkening of Jungkook’s face, it was obvious that that was the case- Jungkook needed Hoseok who had more experience, as he knew that he would be likely to screw up without him, and then he could never beat Hoseok’s practically flawless record. Jungkook finally left, nodding once to the peanut gallery who had been incredibly silent throughout the whole confrontation. When he left, collective sighs escaped, and the trio laughed at each other.  
“Hoseok-ah, what am I going to do with you?” Namjoon said, a small smile on his face. Hoseok shrugged in a comical way before saying,  
“Jimin-ssi, I’ll be back later. I’ll just confirm with my superiors that I brought you from Busan for special reasons, so they hopefully won’t kick you out, bye!” Hoseok screamed and ran while saying the last part really quickly. 

There was a pause.

  
“Wait, what do you mean hopefully won’t kick me out!?”  
…  
“What brings you here Doctor Jung?” asked the new addition to their medical staff, Kim Seokjin.  
“I’m sorry to disturb you Doctor Kim, but where is the Head doctor?” Hoseok said with a small smile. Jin was one of those people that you could never hate, even if he was from a rich family and was the definition of being handed a silver spoon.

This was because he had a friendly, childlike personality and he certainly worked hard for whatever he wanted. Kim Seokjin had never needed to be a doctor- he could have just lived well and inherited his parent’s company. Instead, at the age of eighteen (the same age as a certain conceited jerk) he had decided that what he cared the most about was helping people and healing them, even though he had no clue how to do it. So even after the numerous protests of his parents, he had gone into medical school for seven years and worked hard to get a degree. This was his second hospital, and he had been finally granted the title of Doctor after all his hard work, so Hoseok couldn’t help but feel impressed and happy for him.

The thirty-two-year-old finished organising his desk before saying,  
“He’s just in the office, but there’s a meeting with the superiors, so you might have to wait. By the way, how is the preparation for the interview to become a Professor going?” Hoseok sighed, which surprised Jin a little, as he knew that Hoseok was definitely the most likely candidate. Hoseok pinched at his fringe out of habit before letting out his worries- Kim Seokjin had a way of being so comforting and trustworthy that people would just spill their secrets to him as if they had been drinking soju and had wanted to let out all their worries.  
“Well… Truthfully, Doctor Kim, I’ve been feeling a bit down because I feel like Doctor Jeon is doing better than me, and just recently I’ve broken some hospital rules..”  
“Which hospital rules?” asked Seokjin dramatically. Hoseok rubbed the back of his neck before saying,  
“I brought in a patient from another hospital without permission, and because I know only the Chief will forgive this, I need to speak to him before anyone else finds out. Also, I’ve barely been getting any sleep, so every day I feel like a shadow of myself, going through life on a whim…” Jin inspected Doctor Jung more carefully before asking,  
“If you don’t mind me asking, how long has it been since you went on a date?” Hoseok seemed to deflate, leaning against a wall before whispering,  
“Eight years…”

The comical face which Seokjin donned caused Hoseok to chuckle, seeing the palpable disbelief from the doctor who was older than him. Before he could listen to Seokjin’s protests on how he was ‘still young’ and had his ‘whole life ahead of him’, Hoseok interrupted by saying,  
“I can say for a fact that never in my life have I fallen in love. I’ve never wanted to risk everything for that one person, and that can be shown in my dating history. I dated a few people, but they all ended in peaceful breakups because in high school, I was more focused on dance. When I then went to medical school, there was no way I was getting into a relationship if it could ruin what I created, so I smiled and was polite, but never tried to be with anyone in that way. Even if I find someone attractive, I won’t pursue them, especially if their job clashes mine so much that it’s detrimental to us…” They both stayed in silence for a while, Seokjin absorbing all this, and Hoseok closing his eyes at the memories of several people whose faces seemed to blur and become lost from his mind.

A door loudly opened and they both stood up straight, several executives exiting before the Head doctor came out. “Hyung!” Hoseok said, not bothering to keep the formality. Head Doctor Park Bogum had been friends with Hoseok ever since high school, so it had been no surprise that they had even been accepted into the same hospital, but only few knew of their close relationship. Seokjin raised his eyebrows at Hoseok in question, but Hoseok just shook his head before motioning for Seokjin to follow him inside the conference room to talk to the Head doctor. Bogum sat down in his chair and said,  
“What’s the problem Hobi?” The affectionate name caught Seokjin off guard but he made sure to school his expression.

  
“Hyung, I have an unscheduled patient named Park Jimin in one of the rooms. If you don’t mind, I would like to keep him here because in Busan, he was facing horrible debt and a gang was even going after him. He was desperate to leave, and I couldn’t just keep him there to suffer! Please, please let him stay. If not for him, at least for me,” Hoseok pleaded, the sincerity in his eyes striking. With that powerful speech, Park Bogum didn’t even stand a chance as he just nodded, causing Hoseok to envelop him in a tight hug across the desk, his smile beaming as he thanked his hyung continuously.

Seokjin had been there for support, but what had occurred in less than a minute showed obviously what was happening, and he couldn’t even hide his raised eyebrows. It seemed that the Head doctor Bogum clearly had some sort of unspoken feelings for Hoseok, and the completely pleased expression on his face didn’t make Seokjin think otherwise. To halt the exchange, Seokjin cleared his throat and said,  
“Head Doctor Park, if you wouldn’t mind, Hoseok-ah and I will be going to get lunch.” The smile on Bogum’s face seemed to falter slightly, before he painstakingly let go of Hoseok, not missing the way in which Doctor Kim had called Hoseok by his first name, even though they had never been close before. Hoseok smiled at Bogum one last time with his gorgeously infectious heart-shaped smile and left with Jin to get lunch, as he hadn’t eaten all day.

“Hyung, you better pay for the food!” Hoseok said in sing-song.  
“Then call me hyung-nim,” Seokjin laughed. Hoseok then went on to say ‘hyung-nim’ thirty times before Seokjin agreed, and they went into the cafeteria to eat.

Finding a table, they both sat down with their trays, Seokjin having an incredible amount of food on his plate, while Hoseok only had a bowl of instant ramen. As they had begun devouring their food whilst having light conversation, Namjoon had somehow also joined them, his opening sentence being,  
“The orange fell asleep,” making the two others laugh. They ate in companionable silence for a while before hearing the squealing of girls in the background, and they all immediately tensed up.

Whenever there was the sound of a crowd of girls, it usually meant only one person was there, silently walking through the hospital- Doctor Jeon.

Before Namjoon could wheel his wheelchair next to Hoseok, so that there would be no space for Jungkook to sit, Jungkook had already sat down next to Hoseok, giving him a small smile before continuing eating. The hospital seemed to be on a standstill as the only person moving was Jungkook, and Hoseok felt that he didn’t know what to do. Jungkook’s voice dropped to a whisper as he moved his lips next to Hoseok’s ear and said,  
“You know, I heard that you and Head Doctor Park used to be close in high school. _Really close_.” The emphasis on the last two words made Hoseok’s blood run cold. He knew what he was insinuating, and he knew that Jungkook’s voice had only been for his ears. If people found out about his relationship with the Head Doctor, then all chances of becoming a Professor would be out of the door, as people would assume that if he was picked, the hospital head was playing favourites. He wondered where the hell Jungkook could have gotten the information from.

Without even thinking about it, he stood up, causing a loud clamour. Everyone turned to look at him, thinking that the war was about to start. Instead, Hoseok flashed an amicable smile and said,  
“Of course we can discuss the procedures for your next operation outside since you don’t seem to be so confident about it!” To everyone else’s ears, it had seemed like a really generous offer. But Jungkook had heard the slight condescension in his tone, feeling his face colour as he seemed to be relying on Hoseok just because he didn’t have experience, and that was more embarrassing than anything else, as he had always been given the nickname, “Golden Maknae”- the youngest doctor who can do anything and everything. Hastily, he also stood up and walked out with Hoseok, opting to go to Hoseok’s office, where they could privately speak.

  
…

  
Hoseok entered into his office with light footsteps, the younger male following behind whilst stomping with vigour, something usually never seen of him before. Jungkook also chose to slam the door shut, the sound resounding to the cafeteria, where everyone had heard their previous confrontation. With a deep breath, Hoseok turned around to look at Jungkook squarely in the eyes, their faces only inches apart. Hoseok could see the flames sparking in Jungkook’s eyes, the fire now lit and extremely hard to extinguish.

Even if he was slightly shorter than Jungkook, he was not going to shrink away from his gaze, the anger boiling in his veins too. After staring at each other for what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds, Hoseok let his gaze drift as he went to his desk, a bit distracted by something that was amiss in his office. He sat down on his chair, checking the documents that were neatly stacked on his desk, and Jungkook saw this as an invitation to sit down on the chair opposite to Hoseok and in front of the desk. He sat down much more gently than before, any pretences vanished from his visage as he chose to stare at Hoseok with a cold gaze. But Hoseok was not really paying attention to him, something very valuable missing from his desk.

“Hyung,” Jungkook started, hoping to garner his attention. He repeated his words, but Hoseok just seemed even more panicked, eyes scanning the desk with incredible speed, now frantically opening each of his cabinets.

  
“Hoseok!” Jungkook shouted as he slammed Hoseok’s desk. Finally, Hoseok looked him in the eyes, looking ruffled and dazed. The only time he had been called Hoseok without any honorifics by Jungkook was _that_ time that he had erased from his memory (not really, but he didn’t want to recall that day ever again).  
“We can’t do this anymore. I’m sick and tired of being hated by you just because we are compe-“  
“I don’t hate you.” The soft whisper from Hoseok momentarily stunned him, not used to the man talking to him so sweetly and it actually being sincere.  
“Then why!-“  
“Just!... I don’t hate you, okay? I was going to talk to you now, but… it seems that something of mine was stolen, so please excuse me.” Hoseok stood up and briskly walked out of the room, Jungkook left perplexed for a few seconds before following after the man, hoping to help him in his endeavour. It didn’t take long to reach the other male even though his strides were long and rapid.  
“Who’s stolen what?”  
“You’re about to find out…” Hoseok seethed before he banged open a set of doors, belonging to none other than Head Doctor Park Bogum.

Bogum’s amicable smile was quickly solemnised by Hoseok’s thundering expression. Unexpectedly, he grabbed the Head Doctor’s lapels, bringing their faces close together as he spat out,  
“Where the hell is it?” Jungkook, a mere bystander, stood frozen at the unexpected bout of violence from the calmest doctor.  
“What do you mean?” Bogum said nervously, the lie present in his tone of voice.  
“Where the fuck is my-“ Hoseok felt himself being manhandled and pulled back but he still tried resisting the huge force, wriggling and writhing away. Even with all the struggle, the muscular arms still held him in place, a voice whispering,  
“What are you doing hyung?! Won’t you get your place as a Professor revoked if you continue down this insanity?”  
The words of Jungkook sobered him up, and he schooled his expression to be a mask of tranquillity. Realising that the younger male was still holding onto him, he gently took Jungkook’s arms off his body.

  
“Thanks,” he mumbled, finally realising that what he had done was reckless. Luckily, Jungkook had closed the door so no one had seen the commotion. Meanwhile, Bogum coughed loudly, having underestimated Hoseok’s strength. Instead of continuing his violent interrogation, he scanned the room quickly before pacing towards a certain area and grabbing a small object, putting it in his doctor’s coat pocket. Jungkook hadn’t been able to see what the object had been, but he realised that Hoseok was about to leave, so he bowed quickly and muttered some vague apologies before following Hoseok. Hoseok stopped suddenly and Jungkook stopped just in time to not hit him, the doctors nearby wondering what was going on. Hoseok turned around and smiled morosely at Jungkook, before ruffling his hair and walking away, leaving Jungkook stunned and the nearby doctors and nurses struggling to take pictures and videos of this seemingly impossible moment.  
…  
Hoseok sat back down in his desk, clutching the little object in his hand. Yes, it seemed insignificant at first glance because of how torn and tattered it was, but to him, it meant the world. Bogum also knew the meaning of the object, yet he had probably thought that he was doing him a favour by taking it away. Just because he couldn’t let go of the object didn’t mean that if it was taken from him, it would suddenly make him stop remembering. No… _It_ being taken from him would only cause him more guilt and the memories would intensify more than ever. With a deep sigh, he put the object back where it belonged, next to the piles of documents he had to complete. His next order of business was to also apologise to Bogum, knowing that he had only been trying to help and was doing it for his sake and no one else’s. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this is xXDawnXx, writing my first story ever on here. This was actually written years ago, and I planned to release it when I finished, but I just decided to release it now. Obviously, my writing is at a better standard now, but I've already written this chapter and the next chapter almost 3 years ago, so maybe releasing it would give me inspiration. This is obviously heavily inspired by Descendants of the Sun, but I stopped watching it after episode 6(?) because I got busy, but I may resume watching it in the summer. I wrote this because (no offence) I was tired of the typical settings for Vhope AUs, as all the tropes seemed to be so recurring, so I wanted to add something a bit different. (Also, I know there is very little Vhope this chapter, but it spikes up next chapter). I'm only going to update this in the summer (but I will upload chapter 2 soon), so please don't expect regular updates until then. I hope you enjoyed it and feedback and comments are always appreciated :)
> 
> Love, xXDawnXx


	2. Whenever, Wherever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctors Jung and Jeon tackle three tough operations. Taehyung and Hoseok get to know each other better.

A week later as promised, Taehyung went to the Gwangju Hospital to get a check-up from the handsome doctor. Today, he was dressed normally, having a white t-shirt and a pair of very flattering jeans that accentuates his sculpted tights. The shirt was also quite tight, accentuating his impressive torso. Usually, Taehyung would not have opted for this type of look, finding that long, baggy shirts and wide trousers were the most comfortable thing. However, today he had someone to impress, and there was no way that he wouldn’t catch Doctor Jung’s eye with his impressive military physique.

As he strode in, people and doctors and nurses alike could not help but stare at the amazingly gorgeous and handsome man walking in, his newly dyed blonde hair reflecting in the sun as it contrasted perfectly with his dark, tan skin. Impatiently, he checked his watch, seeing that it was almost time for his appointment, before going up to the male receptionist and asking with his baritone voice,  
“Excuse me, when will I be able to see Doctor Jung?”

The receptionist seemed a bit starry-eyed and dazed before he finally seemed to snap out of it and check the records on the computer. Taehyung decided to lean on the reception stand while waiting, looking casually around when he noticed a familiar figure racing away with three other doctors, carting in a patient on one of those hospital beds. Light in his steps, Taehyung also grabbed on to the handlebars of the bed as Hoseok talked frantically to both the suffering patient and his colleagues, asking random questions to keep the patient conscious while also ordering with precision what room and equipment they would need. While Hoseok was distracted, Taehyung urged the other doctors to stay quiet about his presence, before they passed two sets of double doors and finally entered into the OT. Taehyung opted to stay outside, standing near a window while looking at the sky shift from a cloudless celeste into an ultramarine sky mattered with blinking dots.

Yet his appreciation of the sky didn’t stop him from noticing a worn out doctor finally appear from the double doors of the operating room, hair stuck on his forehead as the curls from before had vanished to be a 50:50 parting of tousled hair. The doctor did not even notice the younger man as he leant against the wall, utterly exhausted and panting. Taehyung approached him silently before patting Hoseok’s damp hair, making his eyes shoot open. The slightly terrified look in Hoseok’s glazed eyes vanished in an instant, and Taehyung couldn’t help but chuckle a little before whispering,  
“You’ve worked hard.”

Taehyung decided to lean against the wall too, right beside Hoseok, relishing in the silence that wasn’t awkward. Hoseok took a furtive glance at Taehyung, only to look away just as quickly when he noticed that Taehyung had been staring at him with an incomprehensible gaze. After a small pause, Taehyung asked,  
“Did the operation go okay?” Hoseok simply nodded, a small smile on his face as he recalled the collective sighs of relief after the patient, who had been in a critical condition, had stabilised enough for the operation to be smooth sailing. Another short pause ensued before Taehyung suddenly turned to look at Hoseok and muttered,   
“Are you my hyung or dongsaeng?”  
  
“Huh?” Hoseok asked, slightly perplexed and very tired, turning to look at the man who was standing beside him. 

“Are you my hyung or dongsaeng? You seem mature, but at the same time you have this youth about you…”

Hoseok couldn’t help the snort that came out of him, before going into hysterics as he laughed openly at Taehyung’s comment. At finally seeing the doctor being happier, Taehyung couldn’t help but smile too, Hoseok’s laughter being completely infectious.  
  
“What do you think I am then?” Hoseok finally asked, the laughter subsiding.  
  
“No offence, but why would I be asking if I knew?” Taehyung said while shaking his head.  
  
“I’ve never heard someone say something so ridiculous as ‘having a youth’ about me,” he stuttered out before laughing again.

Taehyung couldn’t help but giggle along, knowing that his wording may have been a tiny bit eccentric, but the beautiful sounds coming out of Hoseok were making him giddy. He took a moment to look around the fairly wide corridor, scanning the blue wallpaper and the hanging rectangular lights, as well as the grey metallic doors of the operating room, the sign above the door flashing green to indicate that the patient was fine and the room was not in a state of emergency.

Then, he took a moment to hover his eyes on Hoseok, his body hunched as he wiped the non-existed tears in his eyes, the perfectly long and sculpted fingers near his equally long and curled eyelashes. The white doctor’s coat was not pristine, a bit of blood splatter on it, but nothing too horrifying. Under the coat, Taehyung spotted a bright yellow shirt with impossibly tight black trousers, making Taehyung stare maybe a bit too long at Hoseok’s thighs. Noticing where Taehyung’s gaze was concentrated on, Hoseok mock coughed twice, making the blond look up at him, before turning his face away slightly, a blush soon creeping on his face that seemed to be bordering on purple more than anything else.

When the heat on his face had subsided a bit, he made eye contact with Hoseok,  
“Doctor, I’m really sad because you didn’t check up on my wound today,” he said with a fake pout. Hoseok laughed loudly and said,   
  
“Your appointment is in two days, why are you bothering me today?! You know I’m a busy doctor, right?”   
  
“Yeah, so busy that you didn’t even notice me looking like this,” he winked back. Now, it was Hoseok’s turn to quickly scan him before blushing mildly, but it was certainly not as obvious as Taehyung’s previous one.   
  
“I think I would’ve noticed a lemon walking around…” he muttered whilst looking at the floor.   
  
“Even if that same lemon was standing right beside you while you were pushing a patient in?” Taehyung said tentatively, a rueful smile on his face as he recalled how panicked Hoseok had been- there was no way that he would have noticed him, and Taehyung honestly did not blame him for that. Hoseok looked into Taehyung’s eyes deeply, trying to decipher what he had just heard.   
  
“Wait… you helped pull in the patient?” Hoseok asked slowly, and Taehyung nodded cutely. Hoseok looked a bit crestfallen at the fact that he had ignored another patient for a more serious case, always wanting to make sure that his patients were all looked after. To stop Hoseok’s train of thought, he grabbed both of Hoseok’s cheeks and put their foreheads together, whispering happily,   
“How about you take me on a date to make up for ignoring me?” Hoseok looked scandalised as Taehyung rushed away from the restricted area that he really shouldn’t have been allowed in, waving contentedly at the stunned doctor.   
“Wait, how will I even call you?!” Hoseok shouted, realising that he did not have any way to contact Taehyung.   
“When the winds bring us together again, Hoseokie!” He shouted whilst still waving before the double doors slammed shut. 

 There was silence.  
  
“Yah! What if I’m older than you?!” Hoseok shouted because of the new nickname that he had acquired from the blond man.

He glared at the door a bit before sighing and shaking his head, muttering quietly to himself about the strange kid. He walked off to check on the patient and to (finally) get some well-deserved rest for two hours, before he would inevitably be forced to go into the operating room again. His previous smile deflated when he remembered that he would have to work with Doctor Jeon. To make the aches go away, he stretched loudly, enjoying the loud cracks that emanated from his body, as if all the stress was being released.

…

Hoseok had been going at this for over ten hours already, and he could only say that he was truly exhausted and was almost about to collapse. Yes, he was still smiling on the outside and encouraging his colleagues, but on the inside he felt like collapsing in a cocoon and never having to wake up, to be honest. It was already tiring making sure to take care of the patient after all the other doctors left, and therefore he would have to work overtime because there were no other reliable doctors. Then, he had to fill in all the paperwork and get someone to supervise the patient before thinking he could get his precious two hours of sleep.

Not even thirty minutes inside the dark abyss of his mind as he was sleeping on the plastic chairs for visitors, he got shaken by a wide-eyed Jungkook, telling him that instead of the one patient he had thought he had been assigned, he had three patients to take care of in the operating room, but his hands are shaking too much to lead. Hoseok could only sigh before getting up and going into the operating room with the younger man, making sure to guide him properly and keeping Jungkook’s hand steady whenever there was a slight tremor. He also reassured all the other doctors and told them to bring in any necessary equipment when Jungkook forgot it, too preoccupied with the incision he was making.

Even in his sleep-deprived state, Hoseok couldn’t help but look fondly at the younger man as he saw that he was truly doing his best and he was doing it impressively as well, making Hoseok proud that soon Jungkook wouldn’t need his help at all. When the first two operations were done, and all the other doctors had left because their shift had ended, Hoseok and Jungkook both took off their masks and gloves, sighing in relief at another well-done operation before washing their hands. At seeing the younger boy’s eyes, big and sparkling, and the infamous bunny teeth smile, Hoseok couldn’t help but caress Jungkook’s brown hair, softly saying,  
“You’ve done really, really well Doctor Jeon,” and Jungkook lowering his head to be patted further, extremely glad for the compliment.

In truth, Jungkook knew that while he had called Hoseok his ‘co-doctor’ in the operating room, Hoseok had been the one leading everyone, including him, and he had also made sure that everything had gone smoothly. But to Jungkook, hearing that he had done well just made him feel warm inside, knowing that one day he could become as outstanding as his fellow doctor in the operating room, and seeing that their rivalry had caused them to be enemies, the praise was truly very high to him.

The moment was interrupted by a newbie assistant saying,   
“Sorry Doctor Jeon and Doctor Jung, but we are wheeling in the next patient now to operating room 13, and we need you to lead the operation.”

Jungkook stood nervously at hearing this, still not completely confident with his abilities, but Hoseok nodded and said thank you to the woman before putting on a new blue robe, gloves and face mask, directing Jungkook to do the same before they both went into that operating room. When they entered, the situation was easy to handle, and everything had been going smoothly.

However, while cutting, Jungkook had accidentally ruptured something. The loud beeping paralysed the young man, and he couldn’t hear the shouting of the other doctors telling him to hurry or do this or do that. To salvage the situation, Hoseok took out the scalpel out of Jungkook’s hands, looked him directly in his eyes and whispered to him calmly,  
“It’s okay, Jungkook. Don’t worry, you’ve done really well. Just let me handle the rest, okay?”  He gave Jungkook the brightest, most reassuring smile he could muster in his tired daze, before ordering the doctors to calm down and to get him different types of equipment to stop the internal bleeding. After just standing there for a couple of minutes, Jungkook regained composure and asked,   
“What should I do, Doctor Jung?”

At seeing Jungkook finally recovering from his previous stupor, he directed him into holding this and that and making sure that the incision in the stomach was wide open to allow the wound to be very visible. When the internal bleeding finally stopped, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief and Hoseok handed Jungkook back the equipment to continue with the previous procedure. After that long and stressful operation, the patient was finally responsive and seemingly on the way to recovery.

The other doctors left but Jungkook stayed in the room, even after the patient had been wheeled away to a normal room. It was expected when Jungkook fell on the floor, hugging his legs together, making himself as small as possible. Hoseok was so incredibly tired, but he could not leave Jungkook there in that state; when he was suffering on his own. Therefore, he sat down beside Jungkook, not saying anything but holding his hand, tracing randomly on Jungkook’s palm. That was what opened the floodgates, Jungkook crying in a restrained manner to himself.

“Jungkook, what’s wrong?” Hoseok spoke softly, loud enough only to be heard by Jungkook.  
“I-I al-almost k-killed someone. A-and I made y-you and e-everyone suffer. I wouldn’t cry if it was m-my fault and affected only m-me, but it m-made you suffer t-too and e-everyone else and I’m s-sorry.” The confession from Jungkook hurt Hoseok, because he knew that even though Jungkook was a prodigy, he was still just a boy, and hearing that he cared more about Hoseok and the other doctors rather than himself almost made Hoseok tear up too.

Hoseok raised himself a bit, his lower legs on the floor as he went ahead and hugged Jungkook tightly.

  
“Jungkook- just because it almost went bad didn’t mean that it did. You didn’t kill anyone. Remember, if someone comes in this room, we are only trying to save their lives, and if they die, it is not our fault if we tried our hardest to save them… You did incredibly well for going into the operating room at such a young age. If I was your age and doing this, I would have certainly also cut somewhere, because the incision was that tricky. But don’t forget one thing- you always have other doctors who are here to help you. We will always be there to guide you and fix anything. Humans are not flawless- together though, we can help each other in our flaws. That’s how we grow, right Jungkookie?”

The tears had subsided now and Jungkook ’s previously tight grip on Hseok’s blue scrubs had loosened a bit, making Hoseok breathe a sigh of relief. He reminded himself that he would have to handle telling all the doctors who had seen Jungkook’s mistake to keep quiet about it, and he wouldn’t include it in his report about being the co-leading doctor. After all, he did want the professor position, but sabotaging a vulnerable child was always going to be wrong.

One of the double doors opened to show Namjoon rolling in his wheelchair. He stopped a bit at the scene before him, Jungkook quickly pushing Hoseok off of him before leaving quickly, bowing politely to Namjoon in a flustered hurry. After staring at Jungkook leave, Namjoon rolled his wheelchair right next to Hoseok, who was just taking off all his operating clothing and making sure to leave the equipment in the right places to be sterilised and cleaned.  
  
“Hoseok-ah, it’s time for you to go home. Your shift finished almost sixteen hours ago, yet you’ve been inside operating room after operating room,” Namjoon said worriedly for his friend, knowing that even though it looked like he was holding up, he was probably seconds away from collapsing.  
“Nah, it’s fine Namjoon, I just have to finish the paperwork and-“  
  
“It’s an order from head doctor Park,” Namjoon stated. That shut Hoseok up. After apologising for his misconduct for last time, Bogum had made him promise that whatever he said, he had to do or he would report him to the Doctor’s Council, which could fire him and revoke his license. But Bogum’s requests had only been reasonable and for his health, so he sighed once again and nodded at Namjoon.

After finishing his scan of the room, he took the handles of Namjoon’s wheelchair. Before asking what Hoseok was doing, Hoseok started running while pushing Namjoon along, making them both laugh loudly as they passed through the eerily quiet corridors of the hospital. At reaching the changing rooms, they were both exhausted, Namjoon saying,  
  
“Hoseok-ah, what the hell?!”  
  
“I.. ugh… did it so that you would stop being so darn serious and just relax for once. Don’t you remember we used to do this all the time when you were back in the hospital after the accident?”  
  
“And we would always get shouted at by Head Doctor Park’s father, who was the head before! You would always say it was my fault that I was sad all the time and that you would never do it again, yet you did it almost every day!” He laughed even more, and the duo calmed down only after breathing deeply, a few giggles escaping in the process.

Hoseok talked to Namjoon more before waving him off to talk to the other doctors who had been in the operating room, and telling them that the rapture and internal bleeding had been from a previous operation that the doctor had not closed well, the blame not falling on Jungkook. To be fair, this was the truth, but because of Jungkook’s slight touch with the scalpel, the wound had opened. But every cloud has a silver lining, as thanks to discovering that bad patch up, Hoseok could stitch it properly so it was not at risk of opening again. When he made sure that no bad rumours would be said about Jungkook’s conduct in the operating room, he went to his desk to quickly finish the report of how Jungkook had done in the three surgeries. Hoseok only gave positive reviews and commended Jungkook’s conduct, before printing it and signing it off.

To not have to face Bogum, as he would surely complain about Hoseok still being there, he went to his pigeon hole and placed his neatly folded report in there, before finally going back into the changing room and placing his white coat there. He looked at the mirror in the locker to see deep eye bags and sweat all over himself, and he sighed because he knew how disastrous he looked. At least when he went home he could have six precious hours of sleep, a shower and then he would have to come back to work, as he would never truly have a day off because he worked in the most demanding department.

He walked out of the hospital with his satchel in hand and his comfortable trainers on his feet, not expecting anyone to be waiting outside for him at five am in the morning. As he saw the sun slowly creeping upwards, he also saw the delicate snowflakes dancing in the air, only a few landing and dissolving on the floor in an instant. It was truly the winter season now, only two months away until he grew a year older.

What he didn’t expect to see was a tall blond boy sitting on the hood of a very expensive looking black car, a rectangular smile present and he waved with a sluggish languor at Hoseok. Hoseok couldn’t help but gape at him, and the brashness of Taehyung made him even more stunned as the boy shouted,  
“Ready for our date?” Hoseok quickly looked around the front of the hospital, hoping that no one had heard what the blond was spewing. As much as he hated hiding, he knew what South Korea was like. He had seen enough disgusted looks from people of different generations to not want to see them again, and it didn’t help that Taehyung was being so damn loud. He ran over to the man, glad that at this early time there was barely even a tumbleweed. 

“What are you doing here?” Hoseok asked.

“Didn’t I just say? I’m here for our date! Or do you want me to say it louder?” Hoseok started shushing the boy, telling him to stop being so damn loud.

“But it’s five in the morning? And anyway, I need to go home. I’ve been there for so many hours, my head feels like it’s going to explode.” Looking at Hoseok’s clothes, Taehyung realised that they were exactly the same as when he had left him.

“Wait, you’ve been there since I left?” Taehyung asked, now standing and worried beside Hoseok.

“I feel like I honestly live in the hospital with the amount of time I spend there, and I look terrible coming out of the operating room,” Hoseok said while ruffling his own hair, making it even more dishevelled than it was. Taehyung also saw how dark the previously sparkling eyes of Hoseok were, and that he was slightly swaying.   
Taehyung had a rueful smile on his face before saying, 

“I think you look sexy after coming out of the operating room,” he winked, making Hoseok scoff at him. As he closed his eyes, Hoseok didn’t realise that he had been falling until two arms and a chest held him up. He looked up to see a beautiful face way too close to his, and he hastily pushed himself off, muttering his apologies. A fond smile was on Taehyung’s lips as he got an idea, still wanting to spend time with Hoseok but not wanting to make him even more tired.

“Hoseok, where are you going now?”

“Me? Oh, I was going to the train station to get the train and-“

“No! You’ll fall asleep on the train and get lost who knows where. Just come in my car and I’ll take you home, okay? You can sleep in there and then we can have our date at your house, so you don’t have to tire yourself.” The idea seemed so incredibly tempting, and before he could protest at having their so-called ‘date’ at his house, he was dragged inside the car. Taehyung produced a blanket covered with Full Moon Wo Sagashite characters, and Hoseok raised his eyebrow in question as Taehyung took the driver’s seat and placed the blanket snugly around Hoseok.

He gave Hoseok a cheeky smile before shrugging and saying,  
“What? I love anime, okay?” To that, Hoseok chuckled a bit before muttering his address, and his eyes soon closed, sleep coming quickly because he was so utterly spent.

Taehyung drove in silence, not putting on any music to make sure that Hoseok could sleep as much as possible. Whilst driving, he took secret glances at Hoseok to try and check up on him, pleased whenever he saw his angel sleeping, although he saw Hoseok constantly moving under the blanket, and wondered why with a raised eyebrow. The GPS indicated that he was at Hoseok’s house, so he stopped the car and cut the engine off. Not wanting to wake Hoseok up, he tentatively searched his trouser pockets to try and find the key, but felt like a pervert doing so and opted to go for the satchel instead. There, he did find the key, and also a helpful note to state which apartment he lived in. Taehyung then sported a concerned frown on his face, wondering exactly how many times Hoseok had collapsed from exhaustion and had to be taken home by strangers.

Determined to not let Hoseok wake up, he got out of the car, opened the door on the passenger side and placed one arm on Hoseok’s shoulder, and the other underneath his knees, ensuring he had a good grip before slowly getting him out of the car, making sure that Hoseok’s head wouldn’t accidentally bump the car’s roof. Whilst Hoseok was in his arms, he took a moment just to stare at his face.   
The mole on his upper lip. His long face and straight nose. How adorable he looked while sleeping, Taehyung didn’t realise that his face had been going closer and closer to Hoseok’s, their noses practically almost touching. If he leaned just a tiny bit, he could ki-   
  
Hoseok’s eyes shot open, feeling the sensation of floating. He didn’t expect to see the gorgeous features of Taehyung so close to his face, or Taehyung’s arms around him, carrying him. Feeling petrified that he was going to fall, he started screaming and clawing at Taehyung, wrapping both of his arms tightly around Taehyung’s neck. Taehyung could feel the slight trembling of Hoseok eventually calm down, and realised that Hoseok was probably afraid of heights to some degree. Not wanting to make Hoseok even more scared, and to be honest feeling plenty flustered himself at how tightly Hoseok was holding him, he gently placed Hoseok down, and Hoseok bowed slightly, a bit embarrassed at how he had been screaming a few seconds ago. It wasn’t his fault that he was scared of everything… So he decided to take his satchel from Taehyung’s car and walk up to his apartment on the third floor.

What he hadn’t realised as he had swiped his card on the card reader to enter the building was that Taehyung was shadowing him, entering through the glass doors as well. 

“Good morning Hobi!” Hyuna, the daughter of the landlord and a part-time nurse at his hospital greeted Hoseok, knowing him very well as she saw him as a younger brother who she doted on, and it helped that they worked at the same hospital.

“Morning Noona,” Hoseok waved, walking closer to the elevator as he always did.

“Who’s that, your boyfriend?” she asked mischievously.

“No,” “Yes!” Were the two replies that were thrown at her, Hyuna staring at them in confusion before donning a knowing smile. Hoseok couldn’t believe the cheek of Taehyung as he turned around to gape at him, before glaring and turning back to his Noona, saying as he pressed the elevator button,  
“Wipe that creepy smile off Noona, it’s really not whatever you are thinking,” The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Before entering too, Taehyung cupped his mouth and shouted,   
“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s correct!” before being pulled by his brown long coat into the elevator by a certain peeved doctor.

As Hoseok clicked the button for the third floor, Taehyung saw this as a chance to scoot closer to Hoseok, making Hoseok scoot closer to the wall. They continued like this, Taehyung biting his lip every time he would move close enough for their shoulders to touch, but after there was no space for Hoseok to scoot to, Taehyung felt like this was his time to do the infamous kabedon- the secret technique of all the anime boys he had watched do in action; the epic wall slamming. Just as he turned to do it, the doors dinged open, and Hoseok strode out of the elevator. Feeling defeated at not having done his childhood dream, Taehyung followed Hoseok’s footsteps morosely, his head down like a kicked puppy. Hoseok stopped in front of his apartment when he noticed Taehyung’s dejected expression.

  
“What’s wrong?” he asked tiredly, having dealt with too many kids in one day. He didn’t know if he had it in him to comfort another one. 

“Nothing…” Taehyung muttered, still pouting a bit, but mostly doing it for the attention that Hoseok gave him. Hoseok sighed and said,“Look, we’re here. Now, will you stop looking like a kicked puppy?” while pointing at the door he was standing in front of. Like a happy dog, Taehyung’s head shot up and his eyes sparkled at Hoseok, who just hid a smile as he opened the door with the apartment keys.

When Taehyung had entered, he had definitely not expected to see that there was practically nothing in the apartment. Nothing that showcased the personality of Hoseok, the walls a clinical white, the carpet a dark grey, covering the whole floor. Even the chairs were a creamy white, and Taehyung deflated a bit at how not Hoseok-like it was. Seeing Taehyung’s expression darken again, he told him,  
“Don’t worry, I never live here. The only time I’m here is if I need a power nap and a shower, but the hospital is my home. If you want, I could show you my office instead, since it’s much more decorated?” Taehyung had a polite smile as he shook his head at the offer, quickly scanning all the rooms to see just how neat and tidy every room was. The immaculateness of it all made Taehyung feel as if it was a house still being showcased to be sold off, rather than a house that was being lived in.

While Taehyung had been scooping, Hoseok went to the bathroom to take a brisk but needed shower, finally realising that he had been stinky with sweat all this time next to his so-called date. He tried not to think about that too much as he scrubbed himself hard to get the dirt away, before using the water to clean off any remaining dirt. As per usual, he sang loudly, mimicking the singer he was signing in an overdramatic way, making Taehyung, who was now sitting on a couch, chuckle to himself. When Hoseok came out of the shower, Taehyung had been expecting at least some pyjamas, not a half-naked Hoseok, the only thing standing in his way from appreciating Hoseok in fullness was the long towel that went from his waist to his ankles. Taehyung didn’t realise he had been gawking with his mouth wide open until he saw the smirk on Hoseok’s beautiful face, Hoseok’s fingers pointing to his chin as if indicating Taehyung to close his mouth. Taehyung did so in a hurry by cupping both hands over his mouth, making Hoseok laugh as he walked off. Before he was inside his walk-in closet, Taehyung appreciated the glistening of Hoseok’s hair and back from the water droplets, as well as the thin and supple muscles that had been so cruelly hidden from him because of his work clothes.

Hoseok came back with black shorts and a tank top, towelling his hair calmly as he sat down next to Taehyung. Smiling to himself, Taehyung gently pushed Hoseok’s head on his lap. Before Hoseok could protest, Taehyung calmly said,

“Go ahead and put your head on my lap, so you can sleep, if only for a bit.”

“But what about our date?” questioned Hoseok shyly as he allowed Taehyung to towel his hair instead, feeling the comfort of someone else’s’ touch, just like his mother’s touch when he was little.

“This is our date. You and I cuddling together while you fall asleep on me,” Taehyung said with a pleased smile, finally finished with the towelling of Hoseok’s hair.

“Out of context, that sounds really sexual,” Hoseok rebutted, earning a loud snort from the blond man, making Hoseok also have a pleased smile as his eyes were slowly blinking, before finally closing.

“Just go to sleep and let me enjoy our date Hoseokie,” he said again with that tone of endearment.

“Mhm…” he hummed, ”just wake me up at noon, k?” He said sleepily. Rather than replying, Taehyung petted Hoseok’s hair with one hand, and his bare arm with the other, Hoseok soon falling asleep like a baby.

…

When Hoseok woke up, he felt rejuvenated like he never had before. This had been the first time in a long time that he hadn’t had a fitful sleep, and as he woke up, he realised that he owed it all to the man whose lap he had been using as a pillow for five hours. Hoseok turned his body to be horizontal so that his hair was completely on Taehyung’s thighs,   
“Good morning,” Taehyung said a bit groggily, probably having slept a bit too while looking down at Hoseok. He didn’t miss an opportunity as he stroked Hoseok’s cheek tenderly, his eyes a crescent shape.

  
“ ’Afternoon,” Hoseok replied back sleepily, before covering his mouth with one hand as a yawn exploded out of him, blinking the crust away from his eyes.   
“Can you go back to sleep so that I can kiss my sleeping beauty?” Taehyung whispered, his voice flirty but his tone completely serious, a soft smile still on his face as he brushed away Hoseok’s bangs. To avoid the onslaught of embarrassment as he blushed profusely, Hoseok turned, facing the opposite way of Taehyung, before getting up off of his lap and standing up, stretching while still not facing Taehyung, muttering,   
“Well, now I’m wide awake!” After all, he wasn’t yet going to allow himself to fall. He wasn’t prepared for that yet, and anyway, Taehyung was practically a stranger.

Once his blush had cooled down, he turned to Taehyung with one of his usual happy smiles while saying,  
“Aren’t your legs dead? To repay for that, what food do you want me to make you?” Taehyung had a small smile on his face, his expression unreadable as he slowly said, 

“I already feasted on you while you were asleep, so I don’t think I need breakfast.” This made Hoseok gobsmacked yet again at how incredible flirty he was, so he escaped to the kitchen island to make his body work so his mind didn’t have to think.

“W-what did you mean by that?” he said as he started to get the pan and the eggs to fry them, annoyed at himself for not letting his voice come out completely smoothly. Not even realising until he was there, Taehyung was behind him, back hugging him tightly as he whispered right in his ear,

“I meant that I got to stare at you for four hours straight.” Now Hoseok’s blush was unavoidable as he was completely red, and Taehyung got to see it in its full glory. He loosened the grip Taehyung had on him and turned around to face him while slightly pushing Taehyung’s chest. 

“If you don’t mind, I need to cook. So Taehyung, please move out of the way or help!” The cool way in which Hoseok said it juxtaposed his flaming crimson face, making Taehyung’s smirk now a full-blown grin as he took his hands off of Hoseok’s waist and raised them in surrender, muttering how he would probably burn the kitchen if he was allowed to ‘help’. As he sat down on the couch again and turned on the TV to fill up the room with a bit more noise, he couldn’t help but say cutely,  
“This is the first time you’ve called me by my name since the first time we met.” 

“Huh?” was the distracted answer that had escaped Hoseok before he had thought about it. But he had heard the other man completely, now wondering himself as he flipped the eggs why he hadn’t called Taehyung’s name before today other than when he came in with a bullet wound. Was it because he had not seen Taehyung as anything but a patient before, and that now he was slowly allowing himself to like and accept him? A small smile crept onto his lips too as he finished breakfast and plated it, before placing the bowls on the table in front of the couch, the TV at the perfect angle to be watched as they could eat their breakfast.

As they chewed in comfortable silence, Hoseok suddenly asked,  
“When do you have to go to work?” his cheeks chubby from the food, so his dimples could be clearly seen. Taehyung, instead of answering the question, poked the dimple closest to him and whispered,   
“Cute.” Instead of reacting with rose-coloured cheeks, Hoseok sported wide eyes that blinked slowly, his brain working at a slower pace than usual, processing how _this kid_ could be so vocal in his praises. After chewing even more slowly than his mind was thinking, he turned to look back at the television, eyes distant and almost cloudy before saying,   
“You’re cute too.”

Taehyung had been worried about the silence, fidgeting continuously and having the nervous habit of biting his lip, but hearing Hoseok say those three simple words made a warm feeling spread over his chest, like a slow cooking oven that was warming up something deep inside his chest. After finishing with eating the breakfast, Hoseok got up off the couch and stretched his whole body, arms in a v shape above his head, veins visible from the strain. But what Taehyung was more concentrated on was the strip of flesh that could be seen as the shirt lifted up just a fraction. His trance was broken when Hoseok stopped his ritual stretching, going to pick up the bowls. Instead, Taehyung intercepted him as they were now both holding an empty rice bowl, Hoseok raising an eyebrow in bewilderment before Taehyung squeezed the hand below him and gave Hoseok a warm smile whilst saying,  
“I’ll take care of the washing up since you cooked.”

So Taehyung impressively carried all the bowls and cutlery in both arms before washing away diligently, sneaking furtive glances at Hoseok with a small smile. Feeling like he had nothing to do, Hoseok was about to get dressed when he heard a doorbell ring. Curious, Hoseok went up to the door and opened it with slight caution, having to look down at a bespectacled man with short shaved raven hair.  
  
“Excuse me, can I help you?” Hoseok asked, Taehyung’s curiosity spiking at the intrud- stranger. His voice sounded familiar, and recognition was obvious on his face as he continued his duty. 

“Yes, I would like to introduce myself as your new neighbour, nice to meet you. I am Do Kyungsoo.” The short man donned a small smile on his face, and he spoke extremely formally and eloquently that Hoseok couldn’t help but bow and smile back before introducing himself too.

“I’m Jung Hoseok, a doctor. Nice to meet you too Do-ssi! If you need anything, please don’t be shy and ask.” Hoseok’s friendly persona was blasting in an explosion of benevolence, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but chuckle at how amicable his neighbour was, before stating,  
“Please, call me Kyungsoo. I will go and pack my bags now, see you hopefully later,” and Hoseok couldn’t help but nod enthusiastically.

As Hoseok closed the door, pleased with how unexpectedly friendly his neighbour was he turned around, only to feel his oxygen supply being greatly diminished as he saw the blonde man right up close to him, his aromatic breath from breakfast being too potent. On instinct, Hoseok couldn’t help but back up closer to the door, not being used to people being that close to his personal space in a long time.

“What?” Hoseok questioned, back plastered to the door and eyes a bit larger than usual. Taehyung went on to silently cup Hoseok’s chin, before sliding his thumb at the corner of his lips, his stare piercing and so different from his usually kind eyes that Hoseok felt paralysed. A second later, Taehyung went back to having his endearing box smile before saying,  
“Rice grain,” as he seductively licked the rice grain of his thumb, making Hoseok take an intake of breath in, completely entranced by the blonds’ actions. 

“Ya, stop wasting my time!” Hoseok screamed, about to hit the younger playfully when he heard an all too familiar ping. Searching his person, he realised that he didn’t have his phone on him, so he then went to his bedroom to find his bag, and deftly opened it up and answered the call.  
“Yes, Joonie?” Hoseok breathed out, the name as familiar as breathing. 

“Hoseok, I’m sorry, but we need you at the hospital in like two hours to do the mock interview…”

“Wait- what??” Panic seized Hoseok as he felt his throat constrict. His hands were clammy and shaking, and he felt like he was out of balance, not quite there but only residing in his head, the world from his eyes just a vision from a television screen. He could have sworn that the mock interview to be a professor was in two weeks time!

“Yeah, slight change of plans. It was supposed to be in two weeks, but Doctor- ugh- sorry- Doctor Jeon said that there was no need to hold it so far back since we needed a professor ASAP and all the candidates were ready.”

“That sneaky bas-! I thought he would be grateful, that jerk!” 

“To be fair, he did request for this a week ago, but still! He must have known that you would be busy except for yesterday, when you would have practised for the mock for hours. That’s why he planned to take all your free time then, so you would be unprepared. He literally screwed you over…” Namjoon said in a distant voice, a cynical chuckle even escaping from him, even though he knew how dire the situation was.

“Fuck…” Was the only thing Hoseok could say, and Namjoon laughed even more,

“Didn’t know our ball of sunshine had the guts to swear!”

“Well, I am human and I am also pissed. When am I scheduled to do the interview?” Hoseok couldn’t hold back the growling sound at the back of his throat as he spoke.

“Mmh..” Hoseok heard fingers rapidly hitting what he presumed to be computer keys. “Well, I’ve somehow managed to get you to be moved to be the last person to do it, but…”

“But what Namjoon? I have a stupid interview to prepare for that’s in less than two hours and I am not ready! It doesn’t matter what the catch is, I’ll go and practice, bye!”  
  
…

“I’ll go practice, bye!” 

“Hoseok wait! You’ll have to do it at the same time as Jung-“ But the phone was singing in a morose beep, indicating that Hoseok had hung up a long time ago.

“Damn it Hoseok!” Namjoon couldn’t help but curse, the sound attracting Doctor Kim Seokjin as his head popped out from the doorway, before approaching Namjoon, who was massaging his head.

“Is something the matter Doctor Kim?” Seokjin asked politely, sitting down in front of the desk. Namjoon looked up from cursing his friend before smiling curtly, stating,

“What am I going to do with that idiot?” This emanated laughter very alike windows being cleaned, and Namjoon’s dimples appeared from hiding.

“I’m guessing that you’re talking about a famous Doctor Jung? What has he done this time?” Jin’s eyes sparkled as he heard from Namjoon about all the gossip, and he couldn’t help the visceral intake of breath as he clamped his hand on his mouth, excited yet fearing the apocalypse that would occur.

…

Hoseok slammed the door to his bedroom shut, the bang almost bullet like in speed and ferocity, his hand pulsating red from slamming it so forcefully, whilst forgetting that he actually had a guest over in his rage. In a haste, he took off his clothes, flung them in a nondescript part of the room, and raided his wardrobe to find appropriate work clothes, especially for today. He had on smart black trousers and a white button-up shirt, covered by a light blue jumper that resembled the sky in the early afternoon when it was a summer day clear of clouds.

Having an en suite bathroom, he rushed in, brushed his teeth while trying to find the hair gel, not caring for once that he was making a mess of the place, as he couldn’t afford to waste time on trivial things like that. The previously white tiles were being smattered with colour from the green mouthwash, the yellow combs, the pink face masks and more. Finally, he found the stupid container of hair gel, and his ears perked up at the almost imperceptible sound of a creaking door, indicating that someone was entering the bathroom.

When he turned around to look at the trespasser, his eyes shot wide open, finally remembering that Taehyung was there. Oh, and also that Taehyung was staring at him flabbergasted because he probably looked like a hot mess. He wasn’t wrong, Taehyung’s mouth falling agape as he saw a Hoseok who seemed like such a responsible doctor currently having a green toothbrush stuck in his mouth, foam hanging at the corner of his lips as he was wearing immaculate clothes. But, there was stuff everywhere and Hoseok’s hand was scooping up a handful of gel. Instead of going in, Taehyung meekly closed the door, his back to it before sliding down and giggling quietly to himself, the sensation of wanting to laugh at how unexpectedly more adorable Hoseok could be truly hitting him. Hoseok was currently also on the floor, clutching his knees together with his head buried in his lap, mortified at what he had allowed Taehyung to succumb to.

The thought of Jungkook beating him flashed in his mind, and he went back to styling his hair to be completely slicked back (all while reciting different answers to the questions he had memorised for the interview), before washing his hands and spitting out any foam, smiling at himself in the mirror to confirm his smile was still as radiant as ever before opening the door flamboyantly to showcase confidence rather than reluctance, to show Taehyung that he definitely _was not_ embarrassed by what just happened. Scanning the room, the other male had apparently left, probably too in shock by what he had seen. Hoseok couldn’t help the breath that left him, although rather than being of relief and feeling as if his whole body was liberated, he felt like he had wanted him to stay, and would probably never see him again because of how hideous he looked in his true colours. Clenching his fists tightly and shaking his head to snap out of it, Hoseok took his bag in one swift swoop and left his bedroom, not even bothering to check if Taehyung was in the room. When he stepped out though, he wasn’t expecting to look up to large, chocolate coloured eyes. 

“H-hi!” Hoseok awkwardly waved, not expecting the other to come back, becoming unprepared and flustered, almost about to scratch his hair before he realised that he would have messed up his life’s work.  

“Hey.,. I got you this, I hope you don’t mind that I left so randomly.” Now, Hoseok saw that Taehyung was holding a plastic bag from the convenience store down the road, and as he got out the can, Hoseok’s eyes started literally sparkling, the whole universe being trapped in his eyes.

“I.. I heard from Hyuna noona that you like Sprite, so when I was going to buy a snack for my friend, I got it…” Truthfully, when he had gotten the text from Yoongi to buy him some cup ramen, he had been annoyed because he had wanted to go back into the bathroom and catch Hoseok doing something adorably unpredictable again. However, when he had seen Hyuna about to enter her room, he seized the opportunity and asked her if there was anything Hoseok loved drinking, and she pointed him in the right direction. 

“I.. thanks,” was all Hoseok could say. Was all Hoseok needed to say. He took the drink and held it in both hands.

“Do you need a ride to work?” Taehyung asked tentatively, hoping that Hoseok would say yes.

“Nah, it’s okay. Hyuna noona is my ride since she goes to work at around this time… See you whenever?” Hoseok asked cautiously, hoping that whatever this was could work.

“See you wherever,” was Taehyung’s reply, and Hoseok waved him off before rushing down the stairs and hopping into Hyuna’s car.

  
“Sorry I’m late,” he said taking the several sheets of questions from his bag to peruse while Hyuna drove. 

“Were you doing something I would do?” she said with a coy smile. Hoseok grinned and turned to her, saying, “What would you do?”  
  
“Of course, pin that hottie on the door and kiss him senseless!” she said with a giant grin while winking at him. Hoseok couldn’t help but look scandalised and shout out her name as she drove slightly higher than the speed limit, before turning into professional Doctor Jung mode and going back to answering the questions in a swift, articulate manner.

The car ride was mostly silent except for Hoseok talking to himself, and Hyuna couldn’t help but secretly glance at Hoseok from time to time and feeling the fondness of seeing her ‘baby’ grow. After all, she had known him since he was seven and she was nine, both trying to pursue a career in the arts (specifically dance), and seeing how at heart he always stayed true to himself while following his passions is what made her proud of him. Truthfully, whenever Hoseok had tried dating, she always knew that his partners wouldn’t be good for him, and was there when Hoseok cried to himself and blamed himself. Yet, that Taehyung kid had made a good impression of himself, even going so far as to care for such trivial thing like what Hoseok liked to drink.

As Hoseok became more thirsty from speaking so much, he opened the can and started chugging the whole thing down, glad for the refreshing taste. As he wiped his lips deftly with his fingers, he noticed that there was black writing on the Sprite can. Tilting his head, he turned the can around to read the marker pen.  
_‘Hi… hyung (I found out your age by looking through your wallet, sorry!). I want to meet you again, so here’s my number and don’t work too hard!- Tae’_ and a string of numbers. They were finally at the hospital, and Hyuna had noticed Hoseok just staring at the can for like four minutes straight, so she grabbed it and donned a creepy smile on her face. 

“Ahh... I see. So this is why you’re looking star struck!” Hoseok went on to snatch the can back with a pout on his face and his dimples fully showing. Hyuna cackled away to herself, chanting,  
“You like him,” elongating the l. 

“Shut up,” he muttered angrily whilst taking his phone out of his pocket and quickly typing in the number, his back facing Hyuna so he wouldn’t have to see her overly pleased smile.

…

“Is there any work for me today?” Hoseok asked at the reception, knowing that his interview would be in an hour, so he had time to kill in case anyone needed medical assistance. 

“No Doctor Jung, the Head Doctor has stated that everyone doing the mock interview should just go sit outside the conference room.” Hoseok gave a small, polite bow to him before striding towards the waiting area of the conference room. Not to his surprise, there were at least ten doctors left sitting on the plastic, ergonomic chairs that were an ugly beige.

The only free seat was next to Jungkook, but after hearing about the intended sabotage, he decided to just stand up, being used to it because of dance. Some people were reciting to themselves what they were going to say, others were sitting there in a carefree way, not caring because they knew that they wouldn’t stand a chance against Doctors Jung and Jeon, but most were having their faces in their hands because they had mild hope, but still felt like they wouldn’t get the position and were driving themselves crazy over it. Hoseok was really glad to see that half of the doctors were women and that the world of medicine wasn’t so divided by gender anymore.

As expected, Doctor Jung was standing against the glass windows of the room, staring at the cars below, feeling like a giant and yet feeling so small. He couldn’t help but feel the phone in his pocket, having left his bag in his office already. He didn’t know whether to call or text Taehyung, since he would obviously have to make the first move as Taehyung didn’t have his number. As the clock started ticking and the sands of time were depleting, quiet footsteps came closer to Doctor Jung, and he knew right away who it was.

He felt someone cough behind him, and he turned around to gaze at the person who sabotaged him. Doctor Jung couldn’t help but squint a bit, his eyebrows furrowing, and Doctor Jeon just looked just like an innocent bunny, eyes wide with a small smile. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, Jungkook looked good with a blue button up and navy trousers, but the sleeves were rolled up to accentuate his muscles, and it was clear that he worked out, the veins visible. 

“Hello, Doctor Jung…” All Hoseok did was nod, focusing on Doctor Jeon’s sleeves rather than his face. 

“Are you ready?” He nodded to this as well.  

“Did I do some-“

“Doctor Jung! Doctor Jeon! It’s time for your formal interview.” Doctor Jung entered, wondering why he had to go in at the same time with Doctor Jeon.

Instead of the Head Doctor, the person who would be conducting the interview was the Head of the Operating Theatre Department. She was a rotund woman, wearing a grey suit and a grey pencil skirt, sitting on a desk which was black like her chair. She had her silver strands tucked away in a tight bun. Her glasses made her eyes look sharp. Her claws pointed in a menacing manner towards the desk, painted all black. Thirty years working in the hospital had made her move up in the hospital hierarchy, and she had seen several gruelling things in her time. So her stone cold stare wasn’t intended to make them scared, but even the two best doctors couldn’t help but visibly gulp.

  
“So, who’s going first?” Her voice boomed, the low, rumbling sound making Hoseok visibly stutter. The two doctors looked at each other, and Hoseok didn’t get what was going on… Why was he in the same room as Doctor Jeon, when he should have been outside waiting for Doctor Jeon’s interview to finish? Looking into each others’ eyes, realisation dawned on Doctor Jeon when he realised that Doctor Jung had no clue what their special set up would be. 

“Uhm, I’ll go first. Since you want us to showcase to each other what our styles will be like during the interview. As the junior, I should go…” Something flashed in Hoseok’s mind as he realised why Namjoon had tried to stop him from hanging up… He would have to do his interview with Doctor Jeon watching?

As Doctor Jeon stood in front of the Head of the Operating Theatre, she fired off questions like bullets, and as if he had a bulletproof vest, he handled the questions head-on, talking politely and only ever saying enough and not over-exerting himself, making sure he could keep her interest whilst giving the necessary information. He didn’t know if that was the intended purpose, but whilst he had been sitting and watching the younger, he couldn’t help but feel himself losing confidence, not seeing himself as good enough compared to the younger filled with so much charisma. When he ended, even the callous seeming Head had a small smile on her face, her eyes glinting with recognition of talent. It also helped that Doctor Jeon was very easy on the eyes, and he would be loved by both younger viewers and mothers needing eye candy in their lives.

  
“Well done, Doctor Jeon. Excellent work- please sit.” Doctor Jeon did so, a small smile on his face, clearly knowing that he had done a job well done. “Next, Doctor Jung.”

Hoseok stood up, feeling himself have rising levels of panic, and he didn’t realise that he had started to calm down when he thought about the can of Sprite that Taehyung had gotten for him. He breathed in- he could do this. In his mind, Jungkook thought ‘good luck’. But he didn’t need it. If he had thought that Doctor Jeon’s performance was without flaws, his was immaculate, the gestures concise, open and friendly. His constant smile wide, but not overbearing. Voice loud and cheerful, but appealing and absolutely not off-putting. He was like a conductor, holding the baton as he guided the instruments that were his body parts in a jovial yet solemn piece that flowed and ebbed into the listener’s ears, enthralling the audience. When he was done, he gave a small bow before sitting down, feeling that this was the best he could do short notice.   
“Thank you, that was wonderful. You may now go along with your normal duties.”

As they were dismissed, Hoseok couldn’t help but hope that he wouldn’t be cut from the fifteen doctors, as only two could get through for the competitive position, which would be overseen by Head Doctor Park Bogum.

“Doctor Jung!” he heard finally, going out of his trance. He saw the younger boy in front of him, looking at him with questioning eyes. “Why have you been avoiding me today?” The silence of his voice indicated to Doctor Jung that he had wanted this to be private, but Doctor Jung honestly felt like shouting at the man for what he had done.

“Listen here, you punk. I have worked so damn hard at this job, and then when I cover for your mistake in the OT, all I get is a stab behind my back, having no time to practice because of you. Do you know how panicked I was? Do you know how long it took me to tell myself I wouldn’t fail, just because you moved the date and took the time I had to practice yesterday?” He could feel his hushed whispers get even louder, but he tried to stifle it a bit to avoid any staff.

“Look, I’m-“ 

“Save your sorry,” was all Hoseok could say before stalking off, disappointed at the younger male.

…

Taehyung was at the convenience store where he bought the Sprite, now eating a bowl of ramen he had previously bought. Today was his appointment and he just hoped that Hoseok wouldn’t be bombarded with people like last time. As he viewed at the people passing by on the street while expertly slurping on his ramen, he felt a vibration from his pocket, and he wiped the juices with the sleeve of his jean jacket before taking the phone out of his pocket and picking it up.

“Hel-“

“Taehyung, help!” Hearing the slightly high pitched voice being in so much panic, Taehyung straightened up right away,

“What’s wrong Jimin?” He asked, voice low and hushed and rushed.

“Th-they came for me, and I-I’m so scared. T-they told me Ho-hoseok hyung was busy and so I w-was wondering around the hospital when I s-saw them,” the clumsy stuttering and muttering of Jimin only made Taehyung feel a deep pang in his heart at hearing how his usually strong friend seemed so currently helpless.

“Who, Jimin?” he asked, voice steady. He knew that he would have to be an anchor for his best friend. But all he heard instead of words was muted whimpers, and before he could sit down in his car, the line was cut off. Taehyung’s heart sped up considerably from loud thumping to constant drumming, and he didn’t even think twice as he called Yoongi and told him Jimin’s last known GPS location, which was actually closer to Yoongi. Taehyung didn’t care that he was speeding, only seeing red. He had to save him. No matter what.

Yoongi called him again and Taehyung was ready, answering the call by merely clicking a command on his steering wheel.  
  
“Any news?” His voice gravelly, as if he was almost about to cry (and he was, but he wouldn’t admit that). 

“Found him- get here quick!” Yoongi grumbled, and Taehyung could hear distant screeching and what could be construed as shouts of people screaming ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’, the constant chanting not ceasing at all. Taehyung didn’t really have time to be relieved, but he still allowed himself to huff out a breath of air he had been keeping locked in his heart, not wanting to hope after so much disappointment in his life. Seeing that he had been going in the vaguely right direction from Yoongi’s coordinates, he made a sharp turn left before speeding once again, ignoring all the angry beeps from motorists. Any other day, he would have probably cared, but not today. When he reached his destination, he slammed on the breaks and exploded out of the car, already seeing a large crowd and newly dyed mint hair on a small man, the other petite man hiding in a corner.

As he was at a higher vantage point, he raised his eyebrows and shouted,  
“So is this how cowards fight, huh? I’ve never seen anything more pathetic in my life!” The cheeky smile on his face angered the seven hoodlums, and three of them started shoving their way towards him, whilst Yoongi wiped a bit of blood from his cheek (not his), chuckling to himself. This would be fun.

…

It didn’t even take five minutes from when Taehyung had flown from the stairs to get to their level that the fight was done. One or two had run away; the others were sitting on the floor with their heads bowed. Taehyung looked at Yoongi and could only tut a bit at his crinkled smile, muttering,  
“Why did it take you so long? I could have beaten them all in ten minutes, easy.”  
  
“Says the one who needed me to finish his attackers off after I had finished with mine,” Yoongi smirked. Taehyung mock coughed, muttering,   
“Wasn’t my fault that they weren’t going down.” Jimin finally came out of hiding, and to Taehyung’s chagrin, he had a cut on his forehead.  
  
“Right, which one of you motherf-!” 

“Calm down Tae, it’s done,” Yoongi said calmly, making Taehyung relax his stiff posture. As the orange haired male stood next to him, he took his hand and squeezed it in a reassuring way, the message of comfort being evident. He was greeted by lovely half crescents being beamed back at him, before they looked downwards at the people who had caused this whole mess. Yoongi went to the side to call the police, while Taehyung waited for Jimin to tell him what had happened, and why all this nonsense was occurring. But the orange haired male said nothing, and they just simply stood in silence.

Giving up on hearing a confession, Taehyung said in a level mannered way,  
“Listen up- whoever you are, if you dare bother my friend again, there will be consequences, ok?” His deep voice took on a menacing tone, making the six men shiver visibly. Right on time, a police car showed up, and before they could be roped into questioning, Yoongi whistled at Taehyung before nodding his head in the opposite direction of the police car. Taehyung followed, still holding hands with Jimin, and they ran for their lives, the tense mood leaving as they started giggling like high school boys. Once they had stopped running, they either held onto the railing next to them or held their knees for support, catching air.

  
“Yah, where did you even park your car Taehyung?” Yoongi huffed with a gummy smile, Taehyung thought for a long minute before remembering that he had parked it right near the steps, and therefore literally metres from the police car. Cackles gushed out of him as he realised his own mistake at following Yoongi, and the two shorter males looked at each other in confusion, already knowing that their friend was kind of odd, but not knowing just how much it amounted to. After regaining his senses and wiping away fake tears, he smiled and sighed,   
“We have to go back. I left my car there.”

Jimin lightly punched him whilst calling him a “bastard”, and the three musketeers walked in amiable silence, the sun watching their endeavours. Luckily for them, the police had left just a bit before, so they ambled to the car, Jimin excitedly yelling   
“Shotgun!” Yoongi and Taehyung, who were walking much slower towards the car, suddenly stopped.

  
“Listen, Yoongi. I need you to ask him what’s wrong, because he won’t talk to me,” he whispered sombrely in the winter air, snowflakes long gone, leaving only the lingering cool air. Yoongi could only nod at that, knowing that it was probably gnawing at the younger that his friend wasn’t explaining the situation to him and feeling helpless in his plight. They got in the car, and as Jimin had promised, he was in the passenger seat at the front. Taehyung shook his head a bit before sitting down and banging the door closed. Making sure both his passengers had a seat, he now chose to drive in an unhurried manner, playing classical music at a low volume as he tried to replicate the instrumentals with his voice. It was nice. Just them, hanging out together. Not needing words, the best noise being the allegro tune from the radio and Taehyung’s lips.

Yoongi looked out through the window, mulling what had occurred. When he had arrived at the scene, Jimin had been kneeling on the floor, his face down. He had heard the orange haired man muttering silent apologies of, ‘I’ll never run again’ ‘I’m so sorry’ and other similar words. But the tumbling of the syllables only seemed to enrage the leader of the ‘pack’ who had punched Jimin on the head, making him go down completely on the floor. But even though he was surrounded and helpless, Jimin didn’t cry. His face was statuesque- a handsome marble that wouldn’t allow itself to break. Previously, Yoongi had undermined Jimin’s capabilities and thought of him as a whiny teenager that ran away from home and had just joined a bad crowd, only to try and break free. Instead, the resolve and the maturity he had witnessed dictated otherwise, the reasons Yoongi had thought up seeming too shallow and superfluous. But that didn’t stop Yoongi from wondering how he could talk about it, having been entrusted a duty by Taehyung- his Commander. If it had been anyone else, Yoongi would have politely refused, not liking to meddle in the business of others. But when it came to Taehyung, he wasn’t just an annoying younger brat- he was his friend, his comrade. And he would do anything to protect him and anything he held dear to him.

He snapped out of his reverie when he noticed that they were at the Gwangju hospital that Taehyung so loved to go to. And looking at the front mirror, his raised eyebrow was reciprocated with a quick wink from the blond man. They got out of the car and Taehyung started to chatter about nonsensical things which Yoongi tuned out, mostly because the chatter was for the other male. As they sat down at the reception, a male nurse came by and directed Yoongi and Jimin to a room, whilst Taehyung kindly refused to go with them, inquiring instead of his appointment, in which he was guided by the male doctor to another floor altogether. He impishly waved off the other two, squeezing Yoongi’s shoulder and promising him his cup ramen when they got out, whilst pulling Jimin in a tight hug.

When he left and Jimin sighed and plonked himself in the familiar room that he had been residing in for his recovery, Yoongi gently sat on the plastic chair next to the bed. He awkwardly coughed a bit, before regaining his courage and asking,  
“So, who were they?” Jimin’s previous smile that he had dedicated to Taehyung had long ago morphed into one of sadness. Regret. Jimin looked at the sunlight escaping the closed curtains, wishing that sunlight had instead crept into his life earlier. He looked at Yoongi again, his eyes downcast as he recited something that almost seemed like a novel by the way he narrated the grotesque details as if it all hadn’t happened to him. As if they hadn’t carved a deep gash in his heart. 

“After Taehyung left, I was secretly glad. Secretly glad that he didn’t see the fall of a common Busan boy plunged into despair. My family’s business went bankrupt, and they couldn’t afford to keep me in school. To be useful, I quit myself and started working three part-time jobs. But even that wasn’t enough, so I got stressed, and a bunch of guys told me I could make quick, easy money. Naively, I asked how. They showed me what I thought was a powder. It was heroin.” Yoongi couldn’t help the visceral intake of breath he took. He doesn’t really care much about all the laws, but he was pretty familiar with the one banning heroin, and it was a serious offence if Jimin had been caught. He could have gone to jail for ten years, if not more. As if he hadn’t heard anything, Jimin continued calmly.  
“So I sold the heroin, and then my parents found out where the money came from. They disowned me, keeping the money even though they saw me as unfilial and far gone. I had no other option but to live with those guys. They did everything you could consider bad- gang fights, underage drinking, cigarettes, drugs. Somehow, I didn’t get completely swallowed by such a lifestyle, but the day you met me was when I finally ran away. I probably would have kept being there if I hadn’t seen how they had almost murdered a poor boy, and I had done nothing to stop them. I realised how much of a fuck-up I had become, and decided it was time for change. So I escaped at night, and needed something-anything to contact my parents to take me back because I knew deep down they loved me, no matter how much I had disappointed them... I didn’t want to go to the hospital because I had no insurance, but Hoseokie hyung didn’t care about that- he accepted me for what I was. A broken boy who just wanted the sun to reach out to him.”

There was an inevitable silence that lingered after, the only loud noise being from Yoongi gulping, not sure how to receive the information. Not sure if he should tell Taehyung or not, who was probably dying to know. He wasn’t usually a man of many words (unless it was a topic he was familiar with), so he did what his father usually did to comfort him- he patted Jimin. Or, well, patted his thigh slowly, carefully, the unspoken message of ‘It’s ok’ lingering with every touch. Jimin somehow allowed himself to cry; he allowed himself to wallow in pity at his cruel fate, at how caring his friends were, how he just wanted his mum and dad. This went on for maybe ten minutes, maybe an hour, but soon a familiar broad-shouldered figure appeared, and by then Jimin had stopped crying. Yoongi had stopped patting.

  
“Oh! Hi Jimin, I would say it’s nice to see you again, but I’m actually getting worried by the frequency of it,” Jin smiled, trying not to notice how red and puffed up the younger’s eyes were. He looked towards a chair to see a man he hadn’t seen in a while, and he looked at him thoughtfully whilst the other’s gaze was filled with a glare directed towards Jin. He shrugged it off, more concerned about checking Jimin’s vital signs. Noticing the bruise that was forming around the head, Jin applied ointment, which only made the orange haired man complain loudly. To ease the pain, he queued in one of his famous dad jokes,   
“What did the dog say to the wall?” he asked, already laughing to himself. Jimin rolled his eyes (even though he secretly loved it). Jin was about to say the answer when in monotone, the mint-haired man replied,   
“Wall wall,” which sounded like a dog barking. The brunette whipped his head so quickly at Yoongi that he almost had whiplash, and whilst Jimin was giggling cutely to himself, his eyes crinkling, Jin pouted in that babyish way of his that didn’t correspond to his age. Meanwhile, Yoongi just shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant way, a smirk on his lips and his eyes expressly saying ‘Sorry _hyung_ ’ in a snarky manner.

Jin went on to tell his more obscure dad jokes, some making Jimin laugh enthusiastically, while others left him rubbing his forehead at how bad they were. Eventually, Jimin felt tired and went to sleep, Jin patting his hair softly before making his way outside. The shorter male followed, and Jin stopped abruptly, making Yoongi bump his face on Jin’s broad back. Rubbing his nose in disdain, he saw the older male turn around and laugh his annoying sounding laugh.

“Jin, why did you-“

“Hyung, Yoongi, don’t forget!” Jin retorted back, This made Yoongi squint his eyes at the man even more before seething,  
“Jin _hyung_ , why the hell did you tell me you were selling the place to pay for your tuition fees! You know I would rather not live in the streets.” Jin chuckled lightly before replying,   
“It was just a prank Yoongs!” 

“And that’s why I ignored your messages-“

“But still! In retrospect, it was pretty funny. I never saw you being so worked up about me almost selling your piano.” The cute pout of anger on Yoongi’s face made Jin sigh before saying.  
“Sorry, ok? I’ll never do that again, okay roomie? I’ll treat you!” Yoongi nodded and made small talk with Jun before he walked back into Jimin’s room to check up on him.

Jin and him had been roommates ever since Yoongi had finished high school and had needed a place to stay, and a man from Gwacheon had left a message board in Daegu, seeking a roommate for a very reasonable fee. There were probably a lot of candidates since the price was very good for a student, and the tenant didn’t demand a lot. Yet, Yoongi had been chosen, and he didn’t really get why, since their personalities seemed to contrast so much. Moreover, they usually always sat in silence next to each other, having other things to do when they had to live their lives. But those were the moments in which he felt the most comfortable during his day, and it became a habit that when their schedules coincided to push their beds together to just watch a movie on a small screen tv. Those days were nice. Then, Yoongi had to go and serve in the army, and then that turned into a full-time job.

He would never admit it, but he missed just living with his roommate, and so while Jin had bought another house in Gwangju, he still kept the one in Daegu and went there often. So when Yoongi was away most of the time, Jin loved pranking the younger man, which always didn’t translate well and only made Yoongi ignore him until he apologised. That had been their routine for a while, but it hadn’t happened face to face until today. As he sat down and watched over Jimin, he couldn’t help the gummy smile that appeared at the thought of not having to eat rubbish army food, but the food that his roommate could cook very well.

…

Taehyung waited patiently, sitting down on the hospital bed as he waited for his angel to come and save him from his dastard disease ( _okay, maybe he was being a bit too dramatic_ ). Speaking of the devil (or angel, as Taehyung would vehemently argue), he seemed a bit lost in thought, his expression having lost a bit of its spark. Noticing the visible change immediately, Taehyung did the only thing he could think of to rectify this,   
“Hi, Hoseokie hyung!” That startled the other man, who was now wearing a white coat over his clothes, his hair having been run through several times, it seemed, since it wasn’t the gelled perfection he had made it that morning. The genuine smile that sprung up from Hoseok made Taehyung’s abdomen do a small summersault that he had not been expecting, which made him gulp. He felt himself falling too hard too fast, and he had to control that. He had to.

  
“So, I’m guessing that you’re here for the check-up?” Hoseok smiled ruefully. Taehyung nodded, always eager.   
“Strip, then.” This actually made Taehyung’s thought process completely halt as he gaped upwards, Doctor Jung’s expression holding mirth in it. This time, he wouldn’t be shocked into silence by the younger. Taehyung wordlessly complied, taking off his shirt. He had removed the bandages long ago, mostly because they were just irritating to him. But where the bullet had struck was incredibly visible, the skin taking a while to heal as a small, round hole could be seen. Hoseok’s featherlight fingers delicately traced along the wound, Taehyung observing, mute and rouge under the scrutiny of the doctor.

Hoseok went about taking equipment here and there, busying himself as Taehyung dangled his legs, deep in thought. As Hoseok came back, he gently dabbed a cool concoction on Taehyung’s wound, making the blond visibly relax as his head lolled back, eyes closed. Hoseok continued to do so for a few seconds when Taehyung whispered in the silence,

“So, when were you planning to call me?” This had evidently caught him by surprise, his movements halting. Taehyung straightened himself to look at the crown of Hoseok’s deliciously chocolate brown hair, before the other man stood up and started putting stuff away, busying himself with trivial tasks. Seeing how flustered Taehyung had made him, Taehyung really didn’t have a choice but to tease him more. So he walked up to the man and placed his chin on the crook of Hoseok’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his waist. Hoseok’s breath hitched, the physical contact suddenly too real for him. He could sense too much, including the way that Taehyung’s long fingers grazed his clothes, leaving a burning sensation as if he was tattooing his skin.

His palm finally reached their destination, Hoseok’s trouser pockets, before pulling out his phone. Grabbing that opportunity, Taehyung raised the phone upwards in the air so that Hoseok couldn’t reach it, now both of them on their tiptoes, faces inches apart as Hoseok kept on shouting,  
“Give it back!” and all Taehyung could do was laugh and manoeuvre himself dexterously, grabbing his own phone from his trousers and dialling a number.

A few seconds later, a Tinashe song he wasn’t familiar with blasted from Hoseok’s phone, and he looked at the caller ID to see that it said,  
“Taehyung~” with a heart. He couldn’t help but blush again, having already gotten Hoseok’s number from Hyuna, so he didn’t actually expect Hoseok to have added in his number on his phone, and for him to even put a heart next to his name. Now off his guard, Hoseok snatched his phone back, a pretty pout on his lips, which caused his dimples to appear. What Taehyung wouldn’t do to drown in them. As Hoseok gave him a lecture on ‘Privacy’ and not “Grabbing people’s possessions because it was rude”, Taehyung exclaimed softly,   
“You actually put a heart next to my name.”

This made Hoseok’s lecturing stop (just like most things when Taehyung was involved) as he darkened to a crimson colour, which contrasted with his lightly tanned skin. A soft pang was felt by Taehyung in his chest area, but he chose to ignore it, only wanting to look at the deity in front of him.  
“I-it’s nothing big. I’m usually affectionate on text,” he mumbled looking downwards. Even if it was the most insignificant thing to Hoseok, to Taehyung it was a big deal, and as he shyly cupped the other’s cheek, he asked meekly,   


“Can we go on another date please?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it for a while. I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for the people who have already left kudos, or have bookmarked this, or have even read it! I didn't expect this to do well (I thought it would get buried) so while obviously there are much more popular stories, it makes me happy to see that you guys enjoyed it :). Feel free to comment/message me for sneak peeks, spoilers or any questions because as I've said, it's all planned and just not written completely. I also have like ten other Vhope AUs and I actually want to write for Junghope (my guilty pleasure) and for EXO too, so if you're interested, stick around. Please also tell me if the paragraphing is okay, or if there are too many words- I wrote it as a novel so my paragraphs were way too big, so I tried to cut them, but I don't know if they are okay. Thanks again for the patience,
> 
> Love, xXDawnXx

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is xXDawnXx, writing my first story ever on here. This was actually written years ago, and I planned to release it when I finished, but I just decided to release it now. Obviously, my writing is at a better standard now, but I've already written this chapter and the next chapter almost 3 years ago, so maybe releasing it would give me inspiration. This is obviously heavily inspired by Descendants of the Sun, but I stopped watching it after episode 6(?) because I got busy, but I may resume watching it in the summer. I wrote this because (no offence) I was tired of the typical settings for Vhope AUs, as all the tropes seemed to be so recurring, so I wanted to add something a bit different. (Also, I know there is very little Vhope this chapter, but it spikes up next chapter). I'm only going to update this in the summer (but I will upload chapter 2 soon), so please don't expect regular updates until then. I hope you enjoyed it and feedback and comments are always appreciated :)
> 
> Love, xXDawnXx


End file.
